Help Me Find a Job I Love! Part 1

“Help me find a job I love!” I hear you loud and clear. Day after day, you go to a job that’s less-than-fabulous. Maybe it’s just boring and you know your life was meant for more than boring. Or maybe you really hate it. But you keep going. Day after day, year after year.

You know that you’re smart, that you have talents, and that reducing yourself to what’s on your resume feels wrong. But that’s how the world works. You’re stuck. And so you continue to spend your best days in a kind of fog just to get through.

Well, this post is the first of my series “Help Me find a Job I Love.” Each post will focus on a different aspect of why smart, talented folks like yourself can stay stuck in jobs you hate AND offer practical tips for getting unstuck so you can find a job that you do love.

Today, let’s look at the biggest reason people stay tied to a job that weighs them down.

There are bills to pay: the mortgage, college loans, braces for the kids, and a much-needed vacation.

Is this the main reason you stay stuck?

Is there any hope to pay your bills AND do something that feels more in alignment with who you are and what you’d like to be doing?

Think about this: little old you, – with your skills and talents – got the job you have now. And the salary you have now. Why can’t you do it again?

Now, before you start telling me it’s impossible, let me tell you why it’s not.

Let’s say that right now you’re in business and you’re making a great salary, but what you really want is to be a florist.

Do you think to yourself – “I can’t do that, it wouldn’t even begin to pay my bills.” And then decide to do what you have to in order to stick it out at your job?

The first thing you could ask yourself is: “Is the idea that I’d never get paid the same amount really true?”

Maybe it is. Or then again, maybe not.

There might be something you would love to do that would pay what you’re used to making, or maybe even more. My belief is that when you do what you love, you move from being a worker bee to being the queen bee. Your work becomes top notch, because you love it. You bring that je ne sais quoi to everything you are doing because you are in your element. And when that happens you start to be in high demand which means you can command a greater salary. Maybe it doesn’t happen overnight, but it is possible – and maybe even likely.

You can also explore variations on the theme. For example, maybe you are drawn to being a florist because you need the element of beauty in your work. Are there ways to incorporate that element into something that would pay more? Could you be involved in a certain aspect of being a florist that is higher paying than others? You might also want to read my post about career transition and dealing with your fear of the space between paychecks (here) for some ideas about making a smoother transition.

Also, ask yourself, do you NEED to be paid the same amount? Is there any room to reduce your expenses? Think of it as buying freedom. What are you willing to sacrifice for a life you love more than the one you have now? You may be surprised at how some of the material things you thought you wanted or needed don’t seem as important compared to the idea of getting to do what you love every day.

The problem with these “impossible” barriers is that they aren’t impossible. You are a creative and resourceful person capable of problem solving and making new choices. You deserve to be doing what you love every day.