Getting Back in Control

I admit it, I watch the movie The Martians constantly. I love the story of the human spirit and innovation. I especially love the advice that Mark Watney gives to aspiring astronauts:

‍"At some point, everything's gonna go south on you... everything's going to go south, and you're going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That's all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem... and you solve the next one... and then the next. And If you solve enough problems, you get to come home." ‍

While most of our careers don't lead to life-or-death challenges, we all face the same issues of what to do when everything goes south, and it does not feel like we have any control.

As Mark advises, that is when you need to do the work.

Here are some tips on regaining control when you feel that you have none.

1. Plan For Your Future

One thing that you can control is your plan for the future. What is it that you want? What don't you want? What will it take for you to move toward what you want?

Consider what's important and follow a strategy for a period of time that feels comfortable. Your plan may include leaving your current work environment, or you may decide to stay is the best thing to help meet your goal for the next role or secure. Knowing what you want your future to look like lets you look past the current situation and focus beyond your temporary problems.

Understanding what you want helps you plan how to get to the next roles. Are there skills you need, or do you need to develop your network or brand more? While planning is helpful, remember to regain that feeling of control and take concrete steps toward your future.

2. Know And Own Your Perspective

It's easy to get so wrapped up and paralyzed when things are not going as planned and lose all perspective about the situation. This is especially true at work; you're experiencing it daily. Dealing with a persistent difficulty can become routine, until you decide to change how you look at it.

Your perspective is chief among the things you can control. Stop and reassess your point of view. See if you can find a learning opportunity in the situation. This may be a chance to step outside your comfort zone and learn how to handle better situations or develop new behaviors or skills. Or maybe if you purposefully and mindfully examine what's going on and decide that this is not the best situation for you and that you must create an exit plan.

3. Know How To Invest Your Time And Energy

Your time is one of your most valuable assets; you can control where and how you invest it. How long have you felt stuck in your career, and how much effort are you putting into it? Is investing more time and energy in a certain role the right thing, or is it time to shake things up by moving or taking a new approach?

Similarly, you want to focus your energy on where it will have the most significant impact. Moreover, changing where you focus your energy can give you a greater feeling of control and be a huge stress reliever. Think about if you are investing your energy in things that move you forward or if you are investing all of this energy and feel like you are in quicksand and not moving at all.

4. Know What Is Important

To know where to invest your time and energy, you must also consider what is important to you or critical to your goals. Nothing will change if you want to leave your current role but spend all your time in your position rather than taking the steps to move. Nothing will change if it is important to you to build a book of business and you spend all of your time at your desk. You need to know what needs to change and then take steps to implement them.

Unfortunately, our careers don't always go as planned. Clients, sponsors, and managers leave. Organizations re-structure. And yet you can still take steps to regain control even when you feel you have none. You need to understand your situation, what you can control, and where you want to go.

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