The Workplace Should Build You Up, Not Break You Down

Patrick E. White III, Esq.
Jan 30, 2024
2 min read

Introduction: The Struggle for Fulfillment in the Workplace

Regardless of where you are in the workforce, you've likely dealt with stress, anxiety, dissatisfaction, lack of fulfillment, or some combination thereof. You want to grow, you want more, but it seems like an impossible task. Something in your mind constantly tells you that your day-to-day should be an exercise in thriving, not stressful grinding. Sometimes, you look at yourself in the mirror, not recognizing the image staring back at you.

You ask yourself, "Is this all there is?"

You're Not Alone: Understanding Workplace Discontent

If you feel unfulfilled in your current role, understand that you are not alone. You are one of countless individuals in today's workforce who feel that way. But it doesn't have to be this way any longer.

The issue is that your current role or some aspect of it does not match what you want. Your aspirations do not align with your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. So how do you fix this?

The BEACH Method: A Path to Alignment

Aligning your aspirations to your current role involves three straightforward steps:

Step 1: Identify your personal and professional aspirations. Figure out what you truly want.

Step 2: Align with your current role. Figure out how your aspirations overlap or connect with your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities.

Step 3: Build the bridge. Take action to connect your aspirations to your current role.

Transforming Your Work Experience

Implementing this three step-framework changes how you view your current position in your workforce. Your job is no longer the be-all and end-all—it now becomes a tool or a pool of resources to propel you toward your personal and professional aspirations. Want to start your own business? This framework enables you to view those tedious check-ins with your supervisor as learning opportunities for the dos and don'ts of running a team. Want to present seminars across the country and give speaking tours? With this framework, those once-dreaded Zoom huddles are now opportunities to rehearse and perfect your presentation style. And let's say you always feel overwhelmed or scared about looming layoffs or downsizing. This framework ensures that your aspirations exist regardless of what happens in your current circumstances—you build the skills to thrive where you are, at some other company, or on your own.