A couple weeks ago I was on the sky train at the airport on the way to the terminal from the parking garage. I noticed there was an airline employee identifiable by the photo badge he had strapped to his arm. It was amazing to see the contrast. In his photo, he was staring right at the camera with a big, enthusiastic smile. In person, he was slouched over, looked like did not get enough sleep, and was mindlessly scrolling through his phone.

Since that experience, I have been fascinated with comparing people’s appearances in badge photos with their real appearances. There will always be obvious changes, especially if the person has been employed at the company for a long time. But the contrast is unmistakable. 

If you have a photo badge for work, take a look at it now and ask yourself, “Where is that person in the photo?” Are you the same person? Are you better off or worse off from when that photo was taken? In terms of the job, has it met the expectations you had when you started? Are you satisfied and content or just comfortable but unfulfilled? 

If you are not happy in your current job, what are you going to do about it?