During a time when people are fighting hard to keep their jobs, you’d have to be crazy to actually quit yours, right? Wrong! There are still some people out there that would rather dip into their life savings, or worse—move back home, than continue working at a job that makes them miserable. Why? Because the way they see it, the long-term consequences of staying will probably be worse than spending the next 6-12 months searching for a better position.
So, what are the top reasons work has become so unbearable for some? According to a recent Forbes.com article, the most common reasons people are miserable at work are balance, money, skills, respect, meaning, and struggle.
- Balance: It’s impossible to balance work and outside/family life
- Money: The money isn’t enough to sustain them or their families
- Skills: The skills and talents required for their work aren’t are a good fit
- Respect: They feel chronically undervalued or mistreated
- Meaning: They experience little positive meaning or purpose in their work
- Struggle: It’s simply too hard to keep going with it
Before setting out to make a change, the article suggest that you do three things:
Dedicate yourself to what you want— A fulfilling, satisfying life is not going to just fall in your lap. You have to claim it, and commit to getting it with concentrated, continual effort. You have to work it.
Refine your focus— Do you know exactly which talents and skills are easy and natural for you to use, that give your work a sense of purpose? Do you know what type of work would represent an ideal fit? Are you in touch with your core values, standards of integrity and life goals?
Find the courage to make change—if you don’t take concrete action that is different in content and process from what you’ve done before, your life and career will not change.
For more information about jobs and career visit Forbes Careers at http://www.forbes.com/careers/.
