One tip if your job gets too (often) unbearable

Let’s imagine that it becomes very often clearer for you that there is something wrong with your job. As instance you notice that you do not enjoy your job as you did when you started, or you clearly see you cannot bear your boss any longer, or again you clearly see that your friends better enjoy their work than you do.

However, you wonder a lot about the idea of leaving your job and about the consequences that may result from this: do I really take the right decision by changing of job? How can I be sure that I will not find a job being worse than the present one? What will happen if I am not so good in the new job? How my present employer will manage the load if I leave her? Would not it be better to wait for better days instead of giving it all up? Etc…

There is nothing wrong in wondering in such a way. Indeed the first need of human being is to answer her primary needs and to ensure own safety (Maslow theory), and for most of us having a job is the first mean to alleviate these primary needs.

However, there is a risk that the situation does not change and that you stay completely blocked for weeks, even months, if you do not consider the following advice:

Tip : if you regularly observe problem(s) in your day-to-day work, fix right now a deadline from which you will take action if the situation does not get better up to that deadline.

For example the deadline can be defined in the coming weeks or month, of course the best being to take action right now. However I noticed that defining a “final” period of reflection before taking action is more acceptable and is quite efficient. As instance if we are in beginning of November, you can say “Ok there is something wrong in my job, if the situation has not changed in three months (end January) then I take action”. It is up to you to define the period duration depending on your personal situation and constraints.

If you do not consider this advice the situation will get worse and you will naively continue to convince yourself that the situation will move in the right direction. Indeed experience showed me that in most of cases the situation does not get better on short term and that inherent job problems come back regularly.

Important point: defining a deadline does not obligatory mean that as soon as you pass it, you will proudly cross over your offices in front of all your amazed colleagues, with resignation letter raised in hand, to go press this one against your boss’ desk… No. Defining a deadline will rather enable you to mentally be serene and to avoid the following:

• To overthink. Overthinking may completely blocks you and often leads not to take action.
• To lose self-confidence. Questioning yourself too much will tend you to blame against yourself and make you lose self-confidence.

Your loved ones or personal coach can give you all advices you want, they will never take action for you. You are the only one who can take action to change your life. Fix a deadline for this right now.

In short:

·    If you often wonder about your job for quite some time now, fix a deadline right now from which you will take action if nothing has improved up to that date.

·    Not to fix a deadline will make you keep bringing up your worries and questions up to a point that they will discourage you, make you lose self-confidence, and make you doubt about your capacity of managing problems.

Give me your view on the following in the below comments section:

1.  Which questions do you have in mind regarding your job?

2.  What blocks you to change of job?

3.  What terrifies you the most? Fear in not finding a better job? Fear in taking too many risks for you and your loved ones? Other?

Share your view here below; it may be useful for other readers!

To your happiness,

Julien