Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Love your job – it can save your life!

If you make a conscious effort to find out what it is you were meant to do in life, it can literally save your life!

Consider this: 70% - 80% of people work at jobs they hate. Unfortunately, this affects their happiness and personal relationships; ultimately, it can affect their health. Another really interesting statistic is that most heart attacks occur on Mondays during morning hours. While there are numerous factors involved, experts agree that job stress has an adverse effect on heart health.

As you can see, having a career that you love is REALLY important.

Recently, I had an interesting resume consultation with a client looking to update his resume. During our time together, he said something that completely resonated with me and that I could relate to as I have felt this way about past job positions that I have had. He told me that while he has had an impressive 25+-year career with progressive experience in his field, he really didn’t like his job. He wasn’t exactly sure about what he wanted to do, but wished he could do something else, preferably involving one of his major interests. He also explained that he felt like he was selling his time (and as a result his life) to his employer.

Is this the way you feel about your job? Do you feel like you’re selling your time and your life to your employer in return for a salary?

Now consider this –
How would your life change if you absolutely loved going to work each day?

   Would you be happier?
   Would you have less stress in your life?
   Would you be more productive?
   Would you be more successful?

If you’re unhappy at work and wish you loved your job, what can you do about it?

First, determine whether you hate the functions of the job or the environment in which you work.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to recognize what is the true core of your career challenge. You may feel you hate your job, but you don’t know exactly why. You need to diagnose the problem before you can take action.

Here are a few signs that you may want to consider making a career transition -  

  • Do you hate what you do (the main tasks and responsibilities of the job)?
  • Are you bored by your work?
  • Do you feel as though time drags on at work and find yourself constantly checking the clock?

If you answered yes to any of the above, it may be time to find a new career that would be a better fit for you in terms of your personality type, interests, natural strengths, and career values.

However, if you love your work, but hate the environment in which you work – start an Internal Campaign.

Here’s what I mean - focus on changing your situation from the inside out and then create a plan for moving forward.

Gloria was contending with this type of situation. When she came to me for help she was at the end of her rope. As a mid-level manager, she was afraid she was going to lose her job, felt overwhelmed by all that she had to do on a daily basis and was upset by the criticism she received from her supervisors regarding her job performance. She wanted help with finding a new career direction to escape her current situation and explore her options.

As a result of our work, it became apparent that Gloria’s problem wasn’t that she needed to make a career change, but instead she needed to change the way she felt about her job then focus on improving her performance so that she could be a better manager and increase her productivity.

The first thing we addressed was how she viewed her situation. We pulled her out of “victim” mode where she felt trapped and believed she had little to no choice in her circumstances. By changing her perspective and seeing that she did indeed have control over her situation and numerous options, she was able to widen her viewpoint and identify where she could make proactive changes. We then worked on developing her leadership skills (e.g., managing others, increasing communication, effective time management, etc.) to improve her performance on the job.

I’m happy to report that Gloria has completely turned her situation around. She has become more confident and capable on the job. As a result, she received positive feedback from her supervisors and feels much more hopeful about her future. We are currently working on strategies for moving her up to the next level in her career progression.

How about you?

Are you ready to make an investment in yourself and in improving the quality of your life?

(And, by the way, it’s never too late to find a career that you can feel excited about and that energizes you.)

Your future is in your hands –


Don’t trade another minute of your life being paid to work at a job you hate!

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