Are You Being Honest With Yourself?

Here you are, clocking in and out, hustling your ass off, and it still seems like your boss isn't satisfied. They want more. Always more. You're grinding at 100%, but they're asking for 110, 120, 150. It's like they've got a taste for the impossible, we're not talking about the burger. Sure, in a parallel universe where your inbox isn't flooding and deadlines aren't breathing down your neck, you'd give them all the extra they want. But in this world, the real one, it feels unfair. You're already stretched thin, why can't they see that?

I get it, believe me. There's a point where expectations can seem like fantasies, like an episode of 'The Twilight Zone' where physics doesn't apply and time magically expands to accommodate all their lofty asks. But hold on a second, let's take a step back. How about we be honest, really honest, with ourselves?

You're frustrated because you feel like you're giving it your all, but what if your all isn't enough? What if your all isn't focused on the right things? What if your boss sees a potential in you, in the team, that you haven't even begun to tap into? Yeah, maybe they're not articulating it in a way that you'd like. Maybe they're not even fully conscious of it themselves. But what if their unreasonable demands are a muffled, misplaced expression of faith in your abilities?

Being accountable doesn't just mean ticking boxes and meeting minimum expectations. It means growing, adapting, rising to challenges. It means looking inward before lashing outward. Have you done that? Have you truly assessed your capabilities, not as you see them but as they could be? Have you examined whether you've created a self-imposed ceiling that your boss is trying to shatter?

Let's not kid ourselves. There's comfort in the known, in our well-trodden paths of routine and expectation. But let's also not forget that growth never sprouted from comfort zones. Your boss demanding more is like Mother Nature sending a forest fire. Yeah, it burns, it consumes, and it feels like devastation. But from that ash and ruin, new life can spring, stronger and more resilient than before.

So next time you're asked for more and you think it's out of line, ask yourself this: Is it truly that they're wrong, or is it that you're uncomfortable with the stretch? Perhaps what's really happening is that they're nudging you, however clumsily, towards a better version of yourself.

If you still think they're completely insane after some honest introspection, then fine, maybe they are. But you'll never know until you've held yourself accountable for your own limitations and whether you're willing to break them.

Life's too short for mediocrity, for settling in the snug cocoon of 'good enough.' Embrace the challenge, not because your boss says so, but because you owe it to yourself to see just how far you can go.

Is your boss wrong for expecting more? Or are they just ahead of you in recognizing what you're truly capable of? It's a question worth considering, isn't it?