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What to Do When You Have the Blahs at Work

Are you bored at your job? Have you lost enthusiasm for it? Are you just plain old tired of your work?

The blahs strike most of us, even if we’re at jobs that are generally fulfilling. It can be tempting to plot your escape when the blahs hit. “I’m sure it will be very different and so much better over at ABC Company or in XYZ Department,” you say to yourself.

Maybe yes, and maybe no.

Before you jump into job change mode, ask yourself how you can get what you’re missing at your current job. Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, authors of Love It, Don't Leave It have some good ideas on how to do this.

First think about what energizes you at work. Independence? Teamwork? Learning? Challenge? Variety? Then find a place to invest that energy.

This requires you to think creatively and take some initiative. Many of us hope in vain that plum projects and opportunities will magically fall from the sky without us having to do a thing. I’m sure this happens to at least four or five people a year in the U.S., but can you be sure it will happen to you? How long are you prepared to wait?

Examples of taking initiative: If you yearn for more independence, find a task you can do on your own. If teamwork is your thing, surely there is a project that is waiting for a task force to jump on it, with you as their leader. If there’s nothing new to learn at your job, take a class outside work.

Finding the places to invest your energy isn’t the hard part for most people. Deciding to take responsibility for your experience in the first place and getting off your duff are a lot tougher.

Succumbing to the blahs is seductive. I spent a whole lot of time in a past job just partly engaged, going through the motions, whining and griping about everything that was wrong there. Sometimes that was fun, especially complaining en masse at the proverbial water cooler, but overall it was a big waste of my time and got to be depressing.

People feel better when they do something about the blahs.

So what are you going to do?

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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