What is it about your job that makes you want to eat your own face off? You’re not alone in this. In a 2008 survey conducted by the Conference Board research group, less than half of polled reported being satisfied their job. Though, that’s not so surprising. Considering the role jobs play in our society, I’m surprised there aren’t more people climbing bell towers.
Today, in our part of the world, employees aren’t typically passionate about their jobs. They continue to show up every morning to avoid the far worse consequence of unemployment. Last year, John Seely Brown wrote a piece for Bloomberg Businessweek emphasizing passion as being crucial for success in the workplace. Brown continued by explaining that without passion “people will be simply exchanging the stress of being unemployed for the stress of feeling trapped in dead-end jobs where ever more effort is needed to just stay put.”
That being said, giving your boss the finger and storming out may not be the best course of action. The current economic climate notwithstanding, there are many good reasons why you should stay put for the time being.
Count yourself lucky. You’re fortunate enough to be living in an era of unprecedented potential. The world has never experienced this level of connectivity, and you’ve got all the tools you need to network with like-minded individuals and help realize your ideas. In a world where social connectivity has allowed many to become entrepreneurs, it can be a challenge to find reasons to punch in every day. However, there’s no need to make rash decisions. In fact, you should never make decisions when you’re feeling down in the dumps.
Don’t quit your job because you hate it. Quit your job when you become passionate about another. Make the decision to move when you are inspired to a new choice, not to avoid something you find distasteful. It is a much simpler task to swing to the next monkey bar by using the moment of where you are. Letting go of where you are puts you at a full stop and makes it that much more difficult to get back up and swinging.
You can use the benefit of a steady paycheck, and the comfort of a familiar environment, to launch you into your next endeavour. It can be tough to pursue your dreams while starving or worrying about bills. There’s no reason why you can’t use your time off work to ferment your ideas and work on something new. If it’s an idea your passionate about, you’ll enjoy doing it whenever you can, despite the job.
What’s more, if you can find something to be passionate about, your day to day will become much more enjoyable. You will start to appreciate the job you have because it will begin to play a part in your dream. Think about it. When you’re in newly in love, your job doesn’t feel that tedious, because it’s funding your romantic life. It provides a value which you can appreciate. You spend less time thinking about how much you hate your job and more time thinking about what your job is allowing you to do, or buy or see or experience.
You don’t need to quit to feel better. You feel the way you do because of how you are choosing to see your job. You can choose to see your job in a way that benefits you. And from that stable position, the decisions you make about your future will be based on what you want, instead of what you don’t want.
The bottom line here is to understand that you don’t need to divorce yourself entirely from your job in order to improve your professional life. You can have a much easier transition if you first choose to appreciate your job, use your spare time to work on what you’re passionate about, and then implement and grow your idea until it becomes sustainable. Quitting won’t make you happy, but swinging will.
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