Big Egos and Small Imaginations

Remember: People too weak to follow their own dreams will always find a way to try and discourage yours. DO NOT LET THEM.

~Peter Shankman

I often joke with people that I'm unemployable.  Whenever I've worked for someone else, my biggest frustration has always been knowing what's possible and having to ask permission to get it done.  Often the answer would be a resounding "NO."

There were many reasons for the boss saying no — no money, no resources, no space (I did work in health care after all!). However, I’m creative and could usually work around these problems. The most formidable obstacles to getting anything done in a big institution are usually big egos and small imaginations.

Egos are problematic when co-workers and bosses get jealous that you came up with an idea, won an award or that your program becomes insanely popular. I co-developed a contemplative art program a few years ago that was well-received and was chatting about it with another colleague who ended up snarling at me, “Must be nice to play in the art studio all day!” Yikes!

Small imaginations become a problem when people see your ideas as a threat and close their minds to the possibility of doing things in a new way. You know these people, because they are the ones who immediately shoot down any new idea in staff meetings and get angry at you for even bringing it up. They are happy to phone it in at work and don’t want anyone messing with the status quo. Most of all, they don’t want to see anyone else doing the cool things that they are too afraid to do themselves.

So, how do you cope if you are stressed out at work because you see what is possible and can’t do anything about it because of institutional resistance of one kind or another? Well, you have two options (well, there are more options but only two if you want to be happy).

1. Practice acceptance.

2. Quit.

If you can’t bring acceptance to your current situation, then you absolutely must find the courage to make a change. All the stress management, meditation and yoga classes won’t make you like a situation that is fundamentally wrong for you. In fact, counter to what most people think, those sorts of classes usually help you become aware of and leave a bad situation at work. Sucking up your feelings is never a good option.

There’s also no point getting mad at the system or the people who are stuck in it either. It is what it is and your first priority is your own happiness. Working at a job that sucks the life out of you so that you have nothing left for your friends and family is not cool.

If you are stuck somewhere for the time being, be grateful for the money that you are receiving but start exploring your options. It also helps if you can learn to be grateful for the people who make your job impossible. If they frustrate you enough and make your job so unbearable that you can’t stand it anymore, they can be the catalyst you need to break free and follow your dreams!