What should you do if you hate your job? Should you just quit? Find new work? Before you do so, you might be able to salvage the situation.
A caveat: The word work in this context means activities that energize you and give you reasons to get up every morning. The thought of getting to work excites you. In fact, you want to share your work with the rest of the world. The hours seem to fly by effortlessly when you are deeply involved and lovingly engaged in your work.
Does Your Work Excite You?
Once upon a time, my work (job) failed to excite me. Mired deep in a vicious cycle of lack of fulfillment and satisfaction, I felt stuck for years before I was able to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and start my own journey.
Years later, I would finally rise up and turn to the self-help industry for answers. The first step was a hard, honest look at myself: Am I truly enjoying what I am doing? Or am I just collecting a paycheck to pay for bills?
The answer would be the latter.
Learn More About Yourself
I realized that I didn't know myself well enough to answer the question on what I want to do. So, the first step was in learning more about myself. You can learn more about yourself, too.
One thing to consider is taking an aptitudes test with the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation. For a fee of around $675 to $750 in major cities across the United States, the Foundation will run a whole gamut of tests on you in the next day and a half to determine those aptitudes that come naturally to you and those that do not.
The idea is we tend to enjoy jobs which take advantage of our aptitudes. So if we know what they are, we can find jobs better suited. The Foundation will even make a list of suggestions on the vocations that are best for you.
The next thing is to determine your Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (INTJ, ENTP, ENTJ, etc). Knowing your Myers-Brigg type indicator (MBTI) will better help you in zeroing in on your career field. One book I have found particularly useful is Tieger's Do What You Are. In this book, Tieger walks you through discovering your MBTI, then goes into an in-depth discussion across all types on the characteristics of jobs that would be a good match. Of course, you also get a jobs listing.
Armed with this knowledge, you can also start using your aptitudes more in your current job. In short, you will know that if you do the work, then you will find the energy to do the work.
Look at Your Hobbies
Another place to examine what brings you joy is to look at your hobbies. What characteristics about your hobbies excite you?
If you like flying, is it exploration that brings you joy? Or, the technical aspect of flying?
If you like motorcycling, is it living in the moment that excites you? If so, find a job that lets you truly live in the moment, even if it means going into business for yourself so that you can frequently live in the moment.
If you find yourself writing in your spare time, then do more of it. Incorporate more writing into your current job or turn it into an entrepreneurship (as I did).
Entrepreneurship
If, after much introspection, you find it difficult to incorporate what you love into your current job, then it may be time to find a new job. If that job does not exist, then you may have the beginnings of an entrepreneurship. With the Internet and ready availability of information, starting a business takes very little capital. You have to start with what you have.
Start Today
When you learn more about yourself, you will know what makes you happy. Then, you can start doing more of those things that bring you joy.
In my own quest, I have come to realize that a business should help its employees evolve and become better people. Most business owners get this wrong and think that the role of the employees is to help the business grow. Remember this: People rarely leave jobs. They leave managers.
After much soul-searching and introspection I decided that it was time to move on. If you find yourself in a similar place, then the only choice sometimes is to move on.
So, make a decision to start your own journey of self-discovery. Along the way, you will find what brings you joy to your job so that you can make things better.
No comments:
Post a Comment