Welcome to Career Advise, the newsletter providing career advice, how-tos, and life musings through an optimistic and intriguing lens.

Each week, you will receive two newsletters written by the Oppstartr Team. Mondays — Our career-focused newsletter. Fridays — Out of Office where we discuss life and other thought-provoking ideas.

Today’s Pillar: Tend the Orchard

First, an Analogy:

A seed falls on rocky soil, and a small plant inevitably emerges. Though the soil is not the plant’s optimal environment, it continues to fight and grow despite the harsh conditions. A gardener comes along and, seeing that it’s a vibrant plant, decides to transplant it to lush, fertile soil. The plant, having the proper environment, grows larger than anyone could have dreamt, and it bears great fruit.

The gardener noticed the tenacity of the little plant, given the situation, and knew there was immense growth waiting to happen.

Do We Have to Grow in Poor Conditions?

I will grant you that there can be situations so devoid, so infertile, that you must leave. This can be a job in which growth is shunned by co-workers or leadership, or it could be an immoral job, in which case, I would advise you to leave. However, I believe these situations are not as common as we may have been led to believe, and most jobs have at least some room for growth.

Are There Alternatives?

Alternative 1: We should just start in our best environment.

Answer: I hope that you can start in a great environment! That usually doesn’t happen, and growth is a fulfilling part of our journey.

Alternative 2: We just give up.

Answer: It’s pretty obvious that this won’t work or lead to anything of merit.

Show Others and Yourself You Have What It Takes

Just like the gardener noticing the resilient plant, you have to show others and yourself that you can persevere through any condition and use it to your advantage.

We cannot be promoted, hired, or grow without demonstrating to others that we are capable of performing and providing value. We all have to start somewhere and must utilize the environment and resources we have been given.

Throughout our careers, we need to prove to ourselves that we have what it takes, often more so than proving the same to others. We must know we are tough and resilient enough to endure difficult times and suboptimal conditions.

Growing in a Poor Condition Means You Can Grow Anywhere

In our careers, we rarely start where we want to be, whether that is staying in the same company and advancing, or moving companies to find a better fit. You may be working in a job that isn’t ideal. You want to be promoted within the company, or perhaps you want to make a move, but you need to show that you are capable of growth and performance first.

Look around and ask yourself, “Can I make an improvement to this process, or how can I make this work?” Give yourself a goal, and get to it. Don’t confine yourself to what was stated in the roles and responsibilities listed on the job listing. Use this to show leaders you can be trusted in larger roles. If your current company isn’t cutting it, use it on LinkedIn, on your resume/CV, or in an interview.

Showing initiative will get you noticed and will provide you with great self-realization in the process.

To Get to the Optimal Environment

Why do we stress growth in our careers? … We are striving for something better.

We all want to get to our optimal environment, with just the right balance of nutrients, but we usually never start there. We must work toward it. Just as a houseplant leans toward the window pane or the roots of a tree reach toward a creek’s bank, we, too, must seek what will nourish and sustain us. It’s by passing through the infertile ground and difficult conditions that we ultimately find our nourishing and fertile environment.

Action

How can you grow in your current environment?

Thank you for reading Career Advise. Be sure to read our upcoming Out of Office issue on Friday.

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