I’m paraphrasing a quote by Bob Marley that initially seems rather depressing: “Truth is, everyone is going to hurt you.”
The career lessons I took from this observation:
- Stop looking for the perfect job, which doesn’t exist.
- Understand the pain each job, promotion and project will cause you before accepting the offer.
- Find a job worth suffering for.
Marley continued: “You just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”
This makes the entire thought much more positive and instructive. People will “endure pain” for:
- Their team… whether peers or reports.
- Great leaders… people they respect.
- A cause they believe in.
As you look at a new job, position or project, remember the complete Bob Marley phrase: “Truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”
Weigh the benefits (why you should take the job) with the pain you can expect. I’ve found that most pain is caused by the culture and people, so spend time analyzing:
- Who you’ll work with and for,
- How things get done,
- What’s expected of you,
- What’s your pain tolerance, and
- What causes you severe pain?
Some people thrive while others shut down due to:
- Stress
- Deadlines
- Micro management
- Full or limited responsibility
- Criticism
- Peer challenges
- Presentations
- Analysis
- Travel
- Long hours
This obviously could be a much longer list. It’s up to each person to recognize what causes him or her a level of pain beyond what they want to deal with.
Most of us can withstand quite a bit of pain if we’re working on something we believe in, doing something we like and, especially, working with and for people we respect.