Graduation Blues

People often feel like they’re punished for success.

If you’ve been a working adult for more than 5 minutes, I can almost guarantee that you’ve experienced this. You start doing some work and you do well. Suddenly, you get more work. You get put in charge of something. You get given harder work. All of those things can feel like punishments if you didn’t ask for them!

They aren’t necessarily intended to be, of course. When people see potential, they often want to tap it. And someone may genuinely want to invest in you – so they challenge you. But again, if you didn’t ask for it, you might have been more comfortable being the big fish in your small pond.

Apart from half-assing things or self-sabotaging, how can you get around this? How can you be successful while still directing the outcome of that success?

Call your shot early. Have an understanding of what you do want, and use that to redirect other “suggestions.” For instance, maybe you don’t want to work with more challenging clients just because you’re good with communication. So make it clear that your ultimate goal is to learn enough about the business to move onto the operation side, and that’s where you’re focusing your energy.

You’re not lazy just because you don’t want every opportunity ever presented to you. But perception management is a real thing, and if you want to keep people investing in you, often it’s as simple as telling them exactly how to invest.