Can we be honest for a minute, maybe two?
Yes, we all know how you start getting depressed on Sunday nights. Then come Monday, it’s the Monday Morning Blues. Inside your head, The Mamas and The Papas are singing, Monday, Monday.
Have you ever really sat down and asked yourself why this is? There are numerous reasons, but if you are truly honest you will find that everything probably fits into these seven reasons. This article could just as easily be entitled, Why People Go Down the Wrong Job Road.
Then Why Do You Stay at Your Work if You Are So Miserable?
For as long as I have been coaching, I would have to say these are the seven (7) reasons:
- This is a “safe” real job and easy to always get hired in this field.
- You don’t want to waste your degree.
- The job was a part of a hiring trend X number of years ago.
- The money and benefits are good.
- What will the Jones’ and the golf club crowd say if you switch careers?
- The job has a certain prestige and helps you afford the finer things of life.
- You have no idea what else you would do if you didn’t do this.
Next, we will take each one and discuss it more in detail.
- This is a “safe” real job and easy to always get hired in this field. – Yes, they may be always hiring in your field, but if you are truly miserable, do you want to get rehired? How “safe” is any job these days and what is real job security anymore? Something lasting over 5 years?
- You don’t want to waste your degree. Doggonit! It looks good on paper and on a business card and on the wall. You can’t waste something you have to look at all day. Didn’t your parents sacrifice a lot to send you to college to get this degree? That same degree could just as easily transfer into a gig, side hustle or part-time business. You could even keep your day job, but have a wonderful outlet for your creativity and sanity!
- The job was part of a hiring trend X number of years ago. – We’ve all seen those studies that predict by the year such-and-such X will be a hot new career with a bazillion job openings. Well, the year X came and went. Do you think the world could exist if 1 job out of a bazillion jobs—yours—suddenly became open for someone else?
- The money and benefits are good. – Okay, that’s fair enough. However, have you ever asked yourself how much money and how many benefits do you really need? Do you think they might be just as good someplace else or even in a different career? If you were happier, do you think that you would still need to spend as much money?
- What will the Jones’ and the golf club crowd say if you switched careers? – They are probably in debt anyway, so why are you so worried. Even the cousins of the Jones’ are getting ready to refinance, so forget them. You can always golf elsewhere or take up a new sport, with more cardio.
- The job has a certain prestige and helps you afford the finer things of life. – You can always invent another title for yourself and another life to go with it. Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers, didn’t have a degree to put after her name, so she came up with FFH (Formerly Fat Housewife) as her “degree.” If you could learn to live on less, you may not even need that job or could switch to something you would enjoy.
- You have no idea what else you would do if you didn’t do this. – There is and there are a world of possibilities. This is what PFYP coaching is all about. Asking the important questions, such as what do you want your life to look like and what is your passion? And most importantly, how can you make money doing that?
So What is Holding You Back From Moving On to a New Life and New Career?
What fears are making you stay? Someone once said that life begins right at the end of our comfort zones. Would a pink slip or job loss make it any easier to move on? Don’t get to that point.
Begin asking about what you want your life to look like. Then see how close your career comes to the life you truly want to live. Now is the time to start exploring the options—especially since you have the income from a steady job to back up your exploration and journey.
For years, I kept my day job until I had enough financial resources and money saved to take the plunge. I also had begun working on my business way before I left my day job. I wasn’t taking any chances of it not working out. Even if I would have lost my job or even decided to keep it, I would have still had a “safety net” income.
When Should You Begin?
Begin now, but try to begin just part-time. Misery may love company, but acceptance loves peace. If you want a good workbook to begin with, try Dr. Valerie Young’s Find Your True Calling. I would even love to work with you.
As always, I’d love to hear your comments and questions. Feel free to post them below.
My Coaching Two Cents’ Worth
I am normally not this stern in an article—generally not my style, but I do care. I was there, remember. So, just chalk this one up as tough love and tough coaching. As always, I’d love to hear your comments and questions. Feel free to post them below.
