Research shows that the majority of all the people in the workforce aren’t happy with their current job.

Of course, there are a number of reasons for this. See if you relate to any of these:

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Yet most people will never pursue their dream.
Unless they get laid off.
Until somebody somewhere sometime forces them to do it.
Until circumstances somehow leave them with no other options.

The riskiest action you can take
Wait a minute, you may argue. You don’t “choose” to do nothing.
You just do it.
It just happens.
It doesn’t require any action.
It’s inanimate.

Here’s what many people don’t understand: you can’t do nothing.

We’re using bad grammar to make the point:

Doing nothing is doing something.

Many people just don’t see it that way.
They think doing nothing is safe.
They feel a false sense of security.

In reality, doing nothing may be the riskiest action you can take.

Your two options
You have two options – you can either be reactive or proactive. And we all know which of those two lead to BIGG success!

It’s the reason we say you should pray to get laid off. Because then you will be forced to take action.

Of course, it’s much better to be proactive before then.

But if you’re not going to be proactive, pray to get laid off. It will shake you out of being complacent.

Take control
BIGG success is life on your own terms. It’s about taking control of your life. You’re in charge. You’re the entrepreneur of your life.

If you’re not happy with your present circumstances, don’t wait. Do something about it NOW!

By doing it now, you get to set the schedule. It’s your timetable – not someone else’s. You’re not forced to do something because of circumstances. You’re in control.

So instead of praying to get laid off, why not be proactive while you still have a job? Start building your dream life while you still have an income.

That’s freedom with security. It leads to BIGG success!

Not sure where to start building the life that fits you perfectly? Maybe we can help.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00772-011912.mp3

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She had just successfully completed a BIGG project. She wasn’t sure how she would do. She did spectacularly. She felt even more spectacular!

About a year ago, she was offered the opportunity to chair a similar project. She was tentative. She wasn’t sure she could handle it.

She expressed her concerns to her boss. He told her not to worry about it. One of her co-workers chaired it.

But now she had successfully tackled a project of the same size and scope.

Wow, did it feel good!

Until she talked with her boss.

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She called it to his attention. It didn’t even seem like he heard her. He had other things on his mind.

She left his office discouraged. Understandably so. So what should she do? Here’s what we told her.

Resist the urge to personalize it

As cliché as it may sound, it’s not you; it’s him.

You did your job. He didn’t do his.

You capitalized on the opportunity. He missed the opportunity.

So don’t take it personally. Don’t allow yourself to think that he doesn’t like YOU. Or that he doesn’t have time for YOU.

This speculation will only make you more tentative in your future dealings with him. It almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So assume he treated you no differently than he would anyone else.

Call it to his attention

Don’t do this blatantly. But make sure you find a way to bring it up to him again.

Ideally, in writing – whether in the form of an e-mail or a printed document.

Look for spin-off successes from the project. Then let him know about it.

You may say something like, “We just did X thanks to the successful completion of the Y project on time and on budget. As the project chair, I’m delighted to see the continued impact this project is making in our company.”

By putting it in writing, you’ll have documentation at your next review. It also isn’t as easy to glance over. So it may be the prod he needs to give you the recognition you deserve.

Get your kicks elsewhere

It may just be that your boss isn’t the kind of person who ever gives out any recognition anywhere. You may need to get it somewhere else.

Do you have a blog?
Could you do a case study?
Would anyone in your industry be interested in learning how you did it?
Could you do a presentation about it at an industry conference?

It may not be the project itself. It may be how you managed it. It may be some unique challenge you overcame.

Find a reason to call attention to yourself. Sometimes, if you want it done, you just have to do it yourself. And it leads to BIGG success!

What’s your advice for getting the recognition you deserve?

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00758-120111.mp3

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According to Deloitte’s Shift Index, 4 out of 5 people are unhappy at work these days. We spend at least half our waking hours over five of the seven days of the week at work. And yet, most people are miserable most of that time.

There are a number of reasons people feel this way. Companies have laid people off. Yet the expectation is that the remaining people will be able to find a way to still get all the work done.

And they have for the most part! Sure, some things have suffered. Some things don’t get done anymore. Or at least done at the level of quality that they used to.

Day after day, week after week, month after month – so many people begrudgingly go through the daily grind.

Because they’re scared.
Because they think it would be hard to get a job that pays as well.
Because of uncertainty about the future.

They feel like they no longer have control over their own lives.

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It’s the opposite of BIGG success. BIGG success is life on your own terms – taking control to build the life that fits you perfectly. Work is one of the five elements of BIGG success.

There are two terms often associated with work – job and career.

Nobody wants a job.
Everyone wants a career.

Nobody wants to just trade time for money.
Everybody wants to earn money from a trade.

A job is meaningless.
A career is meaningful.

This is the message we hear again and again – sometimes directly, sometimes more subtly.

Let’s not be subtle. Neither a job nor a career has meaning. Work has meaning.

Work adds value.
Work creates growth.

All this can happen in a job or a career.

A meaningful dead-end job?

It’s more obvious with a career. But how about a job?

A dead-end job.
A job where you know you’re going nowhere.
Can you find meaning there?

Absolutely!

Every job has value. Every job has a potential to serve. But let’s double down.

Let’s say your boss is a jerk.

The company is mediocre.
There’s no clear vision.
Customers aren’t thrilled.
They just do business with the firm because of inertia and no clear alternatives.
Your co-workers are just putting in their time.

Can you still find meaning there?

A resounding yes!

The key lies in understanding a finer point about the definition of BIGG success, life on your own terms.

The springboard

BIGG success is a destination. It’s about getting from where you are now to where you want to be.

In other words, it’s a journey.
Down a long and winding road.
And sometimes the shortest distance between two points is under construction.

And that’s where the job comes in.
A job may buy you time – another one of the five elements of BIGG success.
Time to find yourself.
Time to do research on promising careers.
Time to find your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Time to save money.
Time to build your network.
Time to establish yourself as an expert.
Time to start a business part time.

We think it’s time to stop…you get the idea!

Even a dead-end job can help you move closer to BIGG success. By turning this knowledge into a strategy, a dead-end job becomes meaningful. It can serve as a springboard to BIGG success!

Do you need help finding life on your own terms? Maybe we can help.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00754-111711.mp3

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BIGG success is life on your own terms. But sometimes life throws you a curve ball.

How can you deal with it?

The best way is to prepare for it in advance.

How can you prepare for the unexpected in advance?

By keeping your options open.

Then, if it occurs, you can face the challenge with confidence. So today, we’ll share four keys to keeping your options open.

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Keep your options open by insuring that people see you doing what you do best.

Is your job “outbound” so you’re clearly visible to customers? If so, capitalize on that relationship. Ask them for a brief note about working with you. It will come in handy at your next evaluation or if you need to look for other work.

If your job doesn’t expose you to anyone outside your company, then work on your visibility. Get involved in your industry. Look for conferences you can attend. Participate in forums and comment on blog posts about your industry. You might even consider starting your own blog to show off your expertise. Volunteer to work for your favorite non-profit.

Networking

It’s amazing how many people who land a new job found it through a referral. It’s also amazing how much business results from our networks.

So why do so many of us pay so little attention to our network until we really need it?

Spend a little time every single day building and maintaining your network.

Going beyond the activities mentioned above to be more visible, do you participate in local opportunities?

Is your company a member of your local Chamber of Commerce? If so, do you attend Chamber functions?

Have you registered on Meetup to find out about local events of interest to you?

Are you on LinkedIn?
What about Facebook?
Have you joined any social networking groups specific to your industry?

The contacts you make through these sites will be valuable now. But they may prove invaluable should you be forced to make a change.

Marketing

What makes you unique? How can you communicate that? What opportunities play to your core strengths?

Is your resume up-to-date? If not, there’s no time like the present! For sample cover letters, resumes, job search and interviewing tips, check out Resume Help.

Bridge Plan

Develop a plan of what you would do if you were forced to change jobs.

How will you pay your bills?

Where will you look for a new job?

Who will you contact for referrals?

For what services would you pay (e.g. career coach)?

As you prepare this plan, keep a couple of things in mind:

• You may spot some problems. That’s why you’re doing this now. For example, at what point would you need to find some part-time work or freelance work to pay the bills?
  

• Plan some recovery time should a change be required. You’re human. It will be emotional. But you’ll feel much more confident having thought it through in advance. And you’ll be able to keep your options open to find the right opportunity for you!
  

Thanks so much for checking in with us today. Until next time, here’s to your BIGG success!

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00743-10111.mp3

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Our ancestors worked six days a week. It was tough work – on the farm, in factories and mines.

As the Industrial Revolution kicked in, the growing prosperity created a desire for more leisure. Henry Ford was a leader in this endeavor.

He wanted his workers to have time to shop. So the five day work week became the norm.

But how many people actually follow this regimen today?

Do you?

We sure don’t.

Almost none of the people in our industry do.

Most professionals we know don’t either.

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Now we love our work. And we go full tilt. But we have learned to entrepreneur our work week.

It’s kind of like engineering it. But engineering is a science.

Entrepreneuring is a science and an art. So we think of it as entrepreneuring our work week.

Work and play are two of the five elements of BIGG success. You need to find what works best for you in the work/play dynamic.

The only way to do that is by experimenting.

If you’re an employee, of course, your boss will have a say. But even if you’re self-employed, you may need to work your schedule around your customers.

But customers can be led. Chick-fil-A has been very successful and they don’t open on Sundays, even though their competitors do.

What we do

We rotate our schedule. Most weeks, we will only work a partial day on the weekends.

So it adds up to about six days of production in most cases.

___

We often approach this time off from two different directions. Mary-Lynn tends to start later than me. I tend to stop earlier than her.

___

___

I’m more of a night person and George is more of a morning person. Our point is – your schedule doesn’t always have to align with your partner’s.

___

Of course, there are weeks when we’ll schedule a whole day off. We both love our work so we can go and go and go. But I’ve found I reach a point where my get up and go gets up and goes!

The key to making it work

The key for us is getting it on the schedule. If we don’t schedule it, we keep working.

In fact, we did this post to remind ourselves of this very fact. We hope you find it helpful, too.

As we said earlier, our tendency has been to push and push and push. The problem with that is that you eventually run out of fuel.

You need to fill your tank before that happens. And the only way to do that is to get some time away at regular intervals.

BIGG success is life on your own terms. Our terms are to have less routine. You may do better with more routine. If it works for you, it works.

The only way you’ll know is to test out different work / play schedules. Finding one that fits you perfectly will help you reach BIGG success!

What works best for you?

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00734-090911.mp3