Elle Luna, author of one of my favourite blogs, shares her thoughts on what one MUST do versus what they SHOULD do. As a teaser to her blog, MUSTs are the things we’re compelled to do when being our authentic selves where as SHOULDs are those things we’re influenced to do. 

I was thinking about when the right time to read her article is and the truth is there is no one right time. Though two months into 2021, the effects of 2020 have not yet worn off. Maybe you’re at a place where you’re leaving school, changing jobs, defining your career or redefining your career, but how do you pivot? Where do you begin?

These are all extremely valid questions. 

Step one is to be honest with yourself. That little voice you’ve been hearing and ignoring is screaming louder and louder. It’s saying NOW. Not yesterday and not tomorrow but now.

So I invite you to clear your mind and take a read of Elle Luna’s blog. Keep a list of those things which you SHOULD do and those which you MUST do. 

For those who read this, ask yourselves how this fits within your career. After all, the average person works for 8 hours or 1/3 of a day for roughly 50 years of your life. If you were to spend this much time on anything, wouldn’t you pick an activity you enjoy? How is your career any different?

Let’s break things down a bit further. Name one thing you loved to do as a child. Something which brought you sheer joy. Does this one thing still have a place in your life? If not, why? For me, I love sharks. Just always had a fascination with them. Though not part of my daily career, they play a significant role in my personal life and my pastimes. 

As for my career, I could no longer ignore the urge to start my own business. I was at the crossroads of SHOULD and MUST. I chose must. I could no longer ignore the internal voice of needing to give back and build my career in this way. 

Why does this matter?

Many of us can live without addressing our MUSTs. They’re easy for us to compartmentalise and hide away but after a while, we expend more and more effort on keeping the truth from ourselves. If you don’t do the things you MUST and fill those with your SHOULDs, are you really living life for you?

There is never a good, perfect or ideal time to make a change. You just have to make it knowing you have every belief in your heart of keeping it. Knowing and trusting that you will do all it takes to get yourself closer to what you want in life. “

I invite you to take that journey with me – you won’t regret it!

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