Managing the Gray – Positive Advice That Everyone Can Use to Succeed

I’m actually quite happy in my job. It’s somewhat challenging. I work for a very small software company with two major software products. Both are quite buggy, the legacy of previous bad developers. One was rewritten and sent out with major issues before we realised. The other is in the process of being rewritten from the ground up to overcome all its problems.

We have 2 developers, one to each product, and I get on well with them. I work in support. My job is challenging because customers ring up with issues and I have to determine if they’ve done something wrong, if it’s a known issue or a new one. It doesn’t help that I know the two products are riddled with bugs.

Despite all this, great strides have been made in correcting the already-issued product and the one in development will be very stable and not have the same issues that plagued its predecessor.

What worries me about my job is that despite all our good intentions, the premature release of the product has hurt sales and we may not recover before the company goes broke. We’re banking everything on the relaunch of the newly rewritten product.

For me, the two key quotes here are:

* “If somebody else doesn’t know that the path you’re on isn’t the right one, they can never help you get on the right path.”

* “There IS a pause button in life.”

I think there’s a stigma in our culture that being unfulfilled is NOT the norm. On the contrary; I think being unfulfilled IS the norm, but we’re cautioned against talking about it. Nobody wants to rock the boat, or be seen as a complainer, or suck the positive energy away from everyone else by giving a voice to their own unhappiness.

If we all recognized that being unfulfilled is just our individual path toward eventual fulfillment — and that EVERYBODY is on that path with us — we could all talk about it more easily, ask for help and have the courage to stop and look around once in awhile.

Thanks for connecting those dots.

I agree I find a lot of people seem to be disenchanted in what they do for a career or a paycheck. I **love** what I do and even though there are pitfalls I enjoy those as well – because they are MINE. Some days I wish for a 9-to-5 or (better yet) someone to come and buy my firm out – clients roster and all, but all in all I wouldn’t trade what I do for anything.

Thanks C.C., I needed that.

I really wish I had a set of friends that I could go to and gleam advice like this. A lot of times it feels like I’m going it alone and that’s where the disenchantment comes in. To hear that others are having similar issues is helps me be more secure.

I understand that I have to find out what makes me tick before I can put the wheels in motion. For me, that’s even a huge obstacle. I don’t know what I’m passionate about or what lights the fire in my soul. I know it sounds basic, but how do you even start that process?

Great podcast. And a great reminder that we are in charge of our own path.

I’ve been talking to some folks lately who aren’t happy in their work or lives. I can’t help but be frustrated because they aren’t doing anything to help better their situation. It’s a great opportunity to take a look at your path and determine where you might want to change it. It’s scary too, which is why I think many are more content to stay unhappy and complain. Sometimes it’s easier to blame others than to take control.

One of my biggest fears is waking up after half my life is over and wondering how I got there. And knowing that, it’s a constant goal to keep thinking about what my next challenge will be (personal or professional) and how I might accomplish it. As you said, talking about these things helps. Talking to others about my goals also makes me accountable to someone besides myself and helps me better understand what excites and motivates me.

Thanks for being a positive voice.

[...] 28, 2010 by Mollie Nothnagel Today I listened to the most recent podcast from C.C. Chapman’s Managing the Gray. C.C. talked about how so many folks are feeling unfulfilled with their current professional [...]