Since my return to Crested Butte, I’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster ride. There have been trying times with several challenges coming our way. The greatest one was that my work contract with my company in Australia fell through, leaving me unemployed. For the first time in over 8 years, I needed to look for a job.
Moving from a large city to a small town and having a tech related background required real thought about my next steps. Do I look for a role based on my prior experience in data analytics, reporting, information systems, process etc and see if I can telecommute? Do I look for a role with a local company doing something completely different but utilizing my experience and skills? There are pluses and minuses to both. I could get paid pretty well with a telecommute tech-based role but then I would be isolated from my community, working from home. I could find something really different with a local company and start immersing myself more fully in my new hometown, but chances are I would be relatively new to the industry, and the salary will possibly be much lower.
As I thought about this, I listened to an episode of the The Minimalists Podcast about Challenges and it triggered me to change my perspective on what I deserve. It also changed my perspective on what I actually get! Podcaster, Joshua Fields Millburn told the story about an NBA player who had been hyped to be the 1st draft pick, but ended up being 14th. Instead of the player being disappointed about being 14th, he was excited to be in the NBA, playing basketball for a living and being in the first round draft. Hearing this story pushed aside all the thoughts of what I may deserve, what I may be entitled to and helped me realise that in my new role, I get to do things I have never done before. I get to work in a new industry, in a really beautiful location and meet some interesting people who I will help to have their ‘best day ever’.
Entitlement is a funny thing. Thinking you are entitled to certain things– money, lifestyle and relationships, can be very limiting and close you off to opportunities that may allow you to have a really rewarding experience. So maybe, the next time you are making a big decision, whether it be a new job, a new home or even how you handle something within your relationship, stop and think, “Is what I think I deserve affecting my decision?” And then apply some gratitude and appreciate what you have.