Recently I was sitting outside enjoying my lunch. As I was enjoying the calm light breeze of the climate change. I started watching people as they walked towards their workplace building. They all had a look of dread on their face with their heads down. It was so discouraging; seeing no smiles, no spring to their steps, no looking around to say hi to someone or appreciating the beautiful weather. I thought to myself; these are definite signs these individuals no longer enjoy going to work.
Does this resonate with you?
After a wonderful weekend with family and friends, it is now Sunday night. You are preparing yourself for going back to work in the morning. Making your lunch, laying out your work clothes and shoes. As you are finishing and getting ready for bed you experience anxiety of not wanting to go to work tomorrow. You lay in bed, put on some calming music or a guided meditation or you take a sleep aid product. The feeling just doesn’t go away. You toss and turn throughout the night. Then your alarm goes off and you hit the snooze button numerous times and finally with reluctance you drag yourself out of bed. The first thing you need is some kind of pick me up, whether it is coffee, tea, mountain dew, monster drink or energy now pill just to get you going.
Your journey to work is depressing. You want to be doing something else then going to work. You start walking slow towards your workspace with no enthusiasm whatsoever. You don’t want anyone to communicate with you. You just want to be left alone and everyone to be silent. No good mornings, no friendly greetings, just silence. It takes you a few minutes to get your supplies out or turn on your computer. Throughout the day your lack of work purpose is miserable. You do the bare minimum of work so you won’t get fired. You can’t focus, you just want to get out of there! That is all you can think about. You can’t wait to leave. Five minutes before your shift ends you are already pack and ready to run out that door.
Warning Signs
- Anger, Negative Attitude, Emotional or Ungratefulness
- Boredom, Going Through the Motions, Complacency, Lack of Enthusiasm, Loss of Empathy, Compassion or Isolating One-Self from Others at Work
- Feelings of Dread, Unforgiveness Towards Co-Workers or Management or an Overwhelming Sense of Having No Control or Input Regarding Work
- Hard to Stay Focus on Tasks, Headaches, Stress-Tension, Overwhelm and Daily Exhaustion at Work
- You have been in the same position without Advancement or Promotion for over three years or more, and you really want to continue to advance within your career
- You are not feeling any challenge, motivation, appreciation, recognition, positive feedback or acknowledgment in current position
Do any of these warning signs appear in your daily work life? If so, maybe it is time to consider a change?
Here are some self-reflecting questions to answer to see if it is time to look for a different job:
- Reflect back to when you first started at your current position.
- What attracted you to the job?
- What did you like about the job?
- What has changed?
- What would make your job more interesting?
- What do you truly want in a career?
- How can you make a difference?
- What tasks or projects do you think would be interesting at work?
- Do you feel comfortable asking your supervisor for a new project, task or cross-train in another area?
Action Steps to Start Exploring a New Career Path:
- Hire a Career Coach
- Start networking and discreetly letting colleagues and friends know you are interested in finding a new position.
- Update your resume and cover letter
- Join LinkedIn and/or update your LinkedIn profile and job history
- Prepare and practice for job interview skills
- Search and apply for positions which match your qualifications
- Contact associates for references and referrals
Call to Action:
After answering these questions; what did your answers tell you? Is it time for something new? If yes, what action steps are you going to start?
Comments are always welcome and please share this post with your colleagues, friends, family and on your social networks for others to get inspired!
To learn about a balanced work life; sign up and click on the link 21- Days Optimal Work/Life Balance Workshop.
To learn about one to one coaching with Patti – email me at: patti@coachingforinspirationwithpatti.com
