In the last week, I had conversations with two different people who told me they were unhappy with their current job and wanted to do something else, and then proceeded to tell me all the reasons why they couldn’t change jobs.
Yeah, there are a million reasons to stick with your current job even if you hate it…
- “I have bills to pay”
- “I have a family to support”
- “There are no jobs available in the field I really want to work in”
- “I’ve got debt I have to pay off”
- “I’d have to go back to school and I don’t have time for classes”
But there’s one big reason to make a change that trumps all those excuses.
You will never be truly happy if you don’t love your work.
Don’t misunderstand – I’m not saying work is the most important thing in life or a good job is the key to happiness.
What I’m saying is, if you sleep 7 hours a night and work 40 hours a week, you’re spending 1/3 of your waking hours working. If you’re unhappy 1/3 of your waking hours, you’re going to be a pretty unhappy person, right?
But, before you quit your job, consider these two things…
1) Sometimes the problem isn’t the job, it’s the person doing the job
I was a big fan of the Discovery Chanel show Dirty Jobs when it was on a few years back. The people featured in episodes did some of the most disgusting work imaginable – everything from pigeon feces removal to household clean up after a sewer back up – but almost all of them seemed to actually enjoy what they were doing it.
The job wasn’t great, but their attitude towards their job was great.
So, before you change jobs, consider that perhaps you just need to change your perspective. Think about what the world would be like if nobody did what you’re doing, and take heart in the way you’re helping others.
2) Don’t jump until you have something to jump to
Recently, I added a new job to my LinkedIn profile – CEO of Skyway Web Design and Marketing. As a result, I got dozens of “congrats on the new job” messages from people.
I am still leading OurChurch.Com, the company I cofounded all the way back in 1996. Skyway is a new venture Mark and I launched.
You can read the story behind why we launched Skyway and what we hope to accomplish, but the point is we developed and launched the company while still doing our “day job” and we’ll see where it takes us.
That’s the way we started OurChurch.Com as well – while Mark and I both had other full time jobs.
Was it easy?
Nope.
Were there tons of reasons not to do it?
Yep.
But ultimately, that was the dream God put in our heart and we weren’t going to let anything get in our way.
How about you? Are you doing your dream job – what you believe you were created to do?
If not, figure out a way to get from here to there. You will not be truly happy until you do.
What do you think? What’s your next step?
P.S. If you missed it, read the previous post in this series Ch Ch Ch Changes – Part 1
Good advice Paul! I also love that show Dirty Jobs, and it is good to have perspective and a positive attitude no matter what job we do!
Absolutely Margaret! Thanks for commenting!
I agree with the tagline in the featured image.
Jupiter, have mercy. What propaganda! The criminal/ christian mantra of always blaming the victim. For those looking for help or guidance here please don’t buy into this convict-first mentality. Do a google search on this “believer” and you will see that he is hooked up with a church that makes it’s money off ex-cons and prison ministries so expect that he is always going to blame you. The “be a good slave” to your boss approach was created by the slave masters. You are not to blame because you haven’t found a job to your liking. It’s not because of you. It’s more likely the result of a failed god and a boss that is or was a christian. In, other words, two criminals your conscience wouldn’t allow you to tolerate.
Bad day at work, Steve?