Do You Feel Habitually Dissatisfied at Work?

Use Your Dissatisfaction to Fuel Creativity and Change

I was talking with a fellow Senior Leadership Team member who thought I should be pleased with my impact on our organization. He wondered why, despite the success, I seemed disappointed and maybe even a little angry.

I shared this quote by Martha Graham:

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time. This expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it.

“It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.

“No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”

He seemed to get it, especially in that last paragraph!

Life is short, and there’s so much to do. I wasn’t disappointed by what we’d accomplished. I had already moved on to what we needed to do next.

I love praise but don’t have time to bathe in it. Instead, I need to know who I am and what I care about and figure out what’s next.

Martha Graham was a dancer and choreographer. I’m not that at all, but her quote touched a nerve. I’ve been creative through writing, photography, music, and people at work.

I’ve almost always focused on making something new and better happen. I’ve been habitually and unconsciously dissatisfied with what is and want to make it new, different, and better.

Maybe I like jazz because it’s like that too. Nothing is ever the same as it was. Every performance is unique. Searching. That’s the whole point!

It’s not my business to determine whether my contribution is good or bad, ugly or beautiful. I have to get my ideas out there.

And do that again. And again. And again…

Until … the end!

Thanks for reading! What questions or comments do you have?