IT IS NOT STRANGE… TO MISTAKE CHANGE FOR PROGRESS.

Somewhere, a few days ago, I read the meaningful sentence “it is not strange… to mistake change for progress” and I was impressed by its shrewdness. It easily sums up what could happen to those unsatisfied professionals who decide for the quickest solutions, overlooking the whole picture.

They risk that mistake because of their spasmodic will to join something else. Unfortunately, sometimes, their decision-making deals more with the news itself than with the evaluation of that change potentiality… Especially if they are overwhelmed and the new option seems pretty different and far enough from the boss they’re working with.

Fast decisions could be good, if they come from forward-looking intuitions and if their purpose is to safeguard the overall mental healthy. However, they could be the worst ever, if they are pointed out by frustration, unhappiness and dissatisfaction only.

There is a relevant difference between going toward progress (which deals with your own goal) and to escape a bad situation accepting the first available option. A change could suddenly happen, but it couldn’t be a real progress. A good step forward.

I heard many times people say “whatever job is better than my current one”…. Well, this attitude is exactly what could drive them toward that mistake.

Ambitious people, independently of their role and age, should be careful in managing such situations. Even if they are sick and tired, it is always strategic to take a step back, balancing pros and cons of the new options.

People who have a clear vision about their own professional development will easily take a good decision, despite any boredom. At the opposite side, people who have a cloudy vision inexorably risk to move away from their final goal… and, for sure, they will regret it.

Eckhart Tolle, a German writer and public speaker, said: “Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it or accept it totally. If you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of those three options, and you must choose now. Then accept the consequences.”

I definitely agree with him. However, a strategic thinking always starts with the end in mind.

Whatever your decision is, you should ensure the best for your “here and now” and for your future too.

Strategic thinkers need to look both at the present and at the future, always learning from the past. It’s about a systemic and wider view. This is what allows them to take the necessary steps forward in their career advancement.

Sometimes, the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do… in this case, it could mean to reject a job change which is not a real progress.

The will to escape your current job won’t lead you toward a better one. Your self-vision and strategic thinking will do it.

Let’s move close to the final goal and don’t mistake change for progress!