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
Technorati Tags:
career happiness, beverly kaye, sharon jordan-evans, career change
