***Finding a Job You Can Love

George Burns once said, “I'd rather be a failure at something I love than successful at something I hate.” I suspect that many of us would agree with him, but unfortunately, too many people feel stuck in jobs that, if they don’t actually hate them, they don’t love them, either. In fact, a June 2013 Gallup poll revealed that an alarming 70% of those surveyed either hate their jobs or are completely disengaged with regard to their performance on them. Workplace morale is a very real problem, and it is not one that should be ignored or taken for granted.
Perhaps you are one of those in the 70% who feel stuck in a job that pays you for time spent in the workplace, but you feel unfulfilled and are wondering why you bother given that no one seems to appreciate your efforts. If you are in the category of the 70% of workers who are not only unhappy but feel disengaged in your current job, it may be time to do some real soul searching and consider the possibility of making a change. Careers are not intended to be life sentences, and it is possible to reinvent and re-tool yourself for a job that better uses your talents, your abilities, and your experience…but you must be intentional about it, and you must consider all of the possibilities and pitfalls.

First you should consider what it is that is making you feel so unhappy and disengaged in the job you have. What is it that you don’t like? Is it the job itself, or is it the people with whom you work that you aren’t happy? Is it that you have a boss or manager who doesn’t recognize and appreciate your efforts? Do you feel that you are being under utilized, or have you been given so much responsibility that you are drowning in overwhelm?

Also, consider if this is a new condition…one that has just recently occurred perhaps in conjunction with a change in management or the addition of a new staff member with whom you don’t feel you are working so well. There are things that you can do to help your situation, but you must be self-aware, and you must be willing to take positive action instead of just marinating in your unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

The first step is to do a thorough self-assessment regarding what is contributing to your unhappiness and dissatisfaction on the job. Consider if you are feeling conflicted because you feel that your job is not allowing you to feel accomplished and successful. Is the job too demanding or not demanding enough? Are you getting the recognition and intrinsic rewards that make you feel like a valued part of the team or a valued employee? Are you being paid commensurate with your skills and the time that you spend on the job? Is the job taking away valuable and irretrievable time from family, and/or are your relationships at home suffering as a result? Do you have a good or poor relationship with co-workers, supervisors, and bosses? Are you suffering from symptoms of job burn out? When was the last time you took a vacation? Perhaps you just need to take a long weekend or the two-week vacation you have been skipping in order to have a new and better perspective about work.

While doing this assessment, you may also benefit from considering what your core beliefs, passions, and talents are. Are you getting a chance to express those in the job you have, or are you having to suppress them? If you are an artist at heart but you are working in a corporate environment, you may need to consider the conflict between keeping your artistic energies under wraps while you struggle to succeed in an environment that doesn’t feed your soul or nurture you in ways that you need—and deserve—to be nurtured.

After working through this self-assessment, if you have pinpointed the problem, you may be able to address it properly. For example, if you decide that the problem is that you are working too many hours or spending too many days traveling, you may need to talk with your supervisor about the possibility of making adjustments. He or she cannot work with you if you aren’t willing to speak up, after all.

In some cases, the solution may be as simple as working on an attitude shift. Instead of focusing on what you dislike about the job, focus on the more likeable aspects of it. Perhaps when you shift in your thinking about the situation, you will find yourself feeling more satisfied and willing to stay. I often remind my clients of the importance of practicing gratitude, even when it means expressing gratitude for something with which they are not all that thrilled. It is better to be grateful for a job that you don’t love than to be without a job at all and no prospect of one, which is exactly where a lot of people have been during this last severe economic downturn. If you have a job, be grateful for the experience and for the opportunity to learn that it has provided for you. Putting things in perspective can sometimes help us to see things in a different light.

If, after doing the self-assessment, you decide that you have, in fact, just had enough, and as the economy picks up, you are ready to explore your options, be careful. Maintain a professional attitude and be circumspect. Remember that it is important in this day and age more than ever to avoid burning bridges that you may later wish you had kept intact. Carefully consider what you want in your next job and calculate if you have the skills already or if you need to brush up with a class or a seminar that will help you be in a better position to transition from where you are to where you want to be.

And as you consider the future position that you want to have for yourself, consider if a career coach would be a worthwhile investment for you. More and more individuals are turning to career coaches these days, and it may very well be that you need the objective and unbiased opinion of someone who isn’t in the middle of the situation to advise you on next steps. A career coach can help you with your assessment of your current situation and may be able to help you vision your next new job or career. The landscape for job hunting is constantly changing, and having someone who is an expert in the field of career transitioning may be just what you need in order to find a job that you are not only successful in, but one that you can honestly say you love as well.