creative maverick

I’m feeling jealous. There’s something about a recent client’s career that I want for myself.

This happens from time to time as a careers coach. The two times that stand out for me, it was with people considering working for large cutting edge creative agencies.

These are high profile organisations that are tough to get into. One client resorted to baking a cake for the company and writing his CV in icing on the top just to get an interview. (It worked.)

Jealousy is a useful thing. It tells me there’s something I still don’t have. As long as I don’t stay with the jealousy and imagine I’m powerless to have the thing I want, I can use it. What is it I need to add into my mix of work to satisfy this part of me?

Who are you most jealous of?

Sometimes jealousy will reveal something you can’t access any other way. Ask people what’s your ideal work and a lot of people are stumped. Ask whose job/business/lifestyle are you most jealous of and as long as you don’t suppress your jealousy you get some useful information.

Ask what aspect of this person’s work makes you most jealous. Then consider how you can bring some of that experience into your own life.

Repeat after me; “I’m just a jealous guy”.