What to do if you're unhappy in your job
Hi! I'm Bec Sands, and I help professional women pivot to a career or business they love.
Today, I’m discussing what to do if you’re unhappy in your job.
I get it, because I’ve been there – I think we all have! Being unhappy in our jobs is one of the primary reasons we leave them.
Although there are endless explanations why we may be unhappy in our current roles, there are two overarching reasons that capture most of these.
ONE: You don’t like the responsibilities of the career or role.
For example, the majority of the tasks you do on a daily basis bore you because you’ve mastered them long ago or they’re not aligned with your interests or strengths.
Often, we don’t work this out until we’re actually in a job because there are OTHER reasons we go down career paths (such as to make money, follow a ‘safe’ path, please our parents, because we think it’s a ‘respectable’ job, because we think it’s what we’re capable or worthy of doing, or simply because we made what seemed to be the best decision at the time and sort of fell into it).
An obvious example is a creative who finds themselves in a finance or accounting role, and may feel stifled, bored and stuck.
TWO: The working environment isn’t aligned with your values.
This could include:
A bullying manager or co-worker
Toxic work culture
Expectation of working very long hours when your primary values are health and/or family
Not feeling appreciated or rewarded for the work that you do, or feeling creatively stifled in some way and unrecognised and under-valued.
If you’re unhappy in your role, be honest with yourself about which category you fall into and why. Take out your journal and write down all of the reasons you can think of. (And remember, no matter what we do there’s always going to be parts of it that we don’t necessarily enjoy. We can minimise this by outsourcing or delegating. However look at this from a big picture view.
If you fall into the first category, a completely different career may be calling you. You don’t have to quit your job straight away – you can do what I did, and start to pursue what interests you. Then, create a second income on the side before fully stepping into your new career or business.
If you fall into the second category, it may be that you simply need to leave your current organisation and find a new role. If you’ve worked in numerous organisations, and you’ve found them to have a variety of all of the issues (or more) that I mentioned in category two, it’s likely that you’re not happy to settle for this and you want more from your career.
Again, if this is you, consider turning your professional services into consulting services and working for yourself with multiple clients. This is a great way to earn the income you desire, and to create the freedom to work when you want, with the clients you choose, where you choose.
If you’re unhappy in your job, here’s what you can do next.
Carve out at least 30 minutes of time and space where you won’t be disturbed. I love to diffuse some essential oils, or light a candle, and play some music. Cushions and a nice blanket also works wonders to create a comfortable space. Now, take out a notebook and a pen and write down the answers to the following questions.
What drew me to this profession?
What do I like about it?
What do I dislike about it?
What are my strengths?
What do I truly enjoy doing?
What do I dislike doing?
If I could do anything with my days, regardless of money, what would that be?
What would my ideal workdays look like, considering who I work with, what I work on, when and where?
What’s stopping me from going after this? What do I believe to be true?
What are the new beliefs I need to create my new reality?
These questions will help you get started on your next career pivot.
I work with clients every day to support them in finding clarity about what they want to do next, what lights them up, and help them to bring this epic vision to life – just like I’ve done in my own career and business.
If you’d like to work with me 1:1 to create the vision and confidence to create a career or business you love, book in a free 20-minute call to find out more about how I can support you and whether we are ideal to work together.
Thank you so much for watching. Make sure you sign up to my free weekly emails for more inspiration and resources on your next career pivot, and if you enjoyed this video please share it with a friend who may need to hear this message too.
