The Structure Paradox

March 3, 2008 by  

Recently, I read a quote but forgot to bookmark it. It was something about the “joy of being able to control your own time”. I’ve thought about it often because I talk to a lot of people transitioning to working independently and creatively, but who are discouraged and disappointed because they’re not seeing the results they want. So they tell me that they’re thinking about going back to being an employee because they realize that they “need the structure”. Its my job to help them examine that belief.

I do so, not to try to convince anyone that being an employee again is the wrong choice. It may be an excellent choice. But I will probe by asking: what does “I need structure” really mean? Is it about financial reasons and wanting a steady paycheck? Is it about feeling lonely and isolated and wanting to be part of a team? Is it about wanting technical and business support systems and professional space? Or fear of recession? Or wanting a 9-5 schedule? I generally get weak and unconvincing “yes” answers to those questions.

So if its not really about those, is the belief “I need structure” about needing to give away control of your time? I can always count on an initially definitive no! response to that question because it touches a nerve, or hidden truth. The paradox is that, for many who later say they need the structure of punching the proverbial time clock, wanting to escape the confines and controls of corporate cubicle life was the driving force for their transitioning to “going solo” in the first place. The effects of the limiting belief – resentment, dissatisfaction and stress, disguised as “I need structure”, show up in the home office just like they show up in the corporate cubicle. Its a cycle of frustration that reinforces the underlying belief in powerlessness.

timeclock1.gif

How can the cycle be broken? I like the structure metaphor in this example; looking for it “out there” because limiting beliefs have over time, weakened the internal structure. But like crumbling blocks in a foundation, beliefs that contradict what is wanted can be uncovered, removed, and replaced; resulting in a powerful belief system and internal structure for professional and personal decision making and problem solving.

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Filed under: alignment, career, Consciousness, counter-direction, going solo
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