The Bloom Report Vol 22 [Bloomology]

Welcome To Friday! 📆

It’s the season of gratitude, but let’s not get too thankful sis!

Here’s what I mean. On the job we hear a lot of low-vibrational phrases like “ Well staying here is better than what’s going on in the job market” or “We should be grateful that we get to work from home two days per week.”

Last week I even heard “ You have to earn the two days per week that you get to work remotely”.

Listen, it’s a no for me.

I don’t do well with scarcity mindset and people trying to get me to believe I can’t do better or have better, forcing faux gratefulness.

I really believe this is a misguided approach, given to us by controlling managers to keep people from knowing their value and potential.

Many professionals, especially those new to the workforce or in highly competitive industries, often feel a profound sense of gratitude for their jobs. While gratitude is fundamentally positive, an excessive display at work can be counterproductive. Here's why:

❌Undervaluing One's Contributions: Over-thankfulness can stem from a feeling of unworthiness, leading employees to undervalue their skills and contributions. This mindset can prevent you from self-advocating when it comes to negotiating salaries or seeking promotions.

❌Complacency and Lack of Growth: Being overly grateful can lead to complacency, which stops us from seeking new challenges or growth opportunities. This can stunt professional development and limit career potential.

❌Imbalance in Employer-Employee Relationship: Excessive thankfulness can tilt the balance in the employer-employee relationship, leading to disrespect or unreasonably high expectations from employers.

Embracing Main Character Career Energy Instead

Instead of leading with over-thankfulness, consider adopting what I call "Main Character Career Energy." This mindset involves:

✨ Self-awareness and Confidence: Recognize your value and contributions. Understand that while the job is important, developing your skillset and expertise are more important and equally valuable to the organization.

✨Proactive Career Development: Be the main character of your career story. Seek out opportunities for growth, take on new challenges, and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

✨Balanced Professional Relationships: Maintain a balanced perspective in your professional relationships. Respect your employers and colleagues, but also ensure that respect is mutual.

✨Goal-Oriented Approach: Set clear monthly, quaterly, and yearly career goals and work towards them. Main character energy is about driving your career narrative forward, not just being a passive participant in your career.

✨Resilience and Adaptability: Be resilient in the face of setbacks and adaptable to change. The main character doesn’t always have a smooth journey, but they learn and grow from each experience.

I’m all about my daily gratitude practices, but when it comes to work I’m never overly thankful for a company. It’s so important to lead with a sense of self-worth, truly believing in the value you bring to the table and proactive career management. Adopting a main character’s career energy empowers you to take charge of your career, ensuring a more fulfilling and dynamic professional journey. Remember, in the story of your career, you are the main character – act accordingly. You own the trajectory of your career path not your manager. Now that’s something to be thankful for.

Cheers to the weekend love!

Jeneba