Have you ever felt as if your life has become a daily robotic and systematic routine of complete repetitiveness. You wake up, have your morning coffee, commute to your 9 to 5, commute back home in two-hour traffic, and wake up to do the exact same thing for the following four days as you eagerly look forward to the weekend. When work starts to feel as if you’re compromising your happiness and mental health, it may be time to take your talents elsewhere. Here are eight signs that show it’s time to dump your current situation for a completely new and refreshing one (besides, who doesn’t like new things?!):
- Work feels like a chore instead of a passion. Your full-time gig is feeling more and more like a teeth-pulling situation instead of a creative-free flowing space. You know that feeling of constantly having something to do, but not enjoying actually doing it—yeah that one is exactly what we’re talking about. Once you realize work shouldn’t feel like a laundry list that seems like it will never end, you will then be able to realize that you aren’t a adolescence teen being forced to complete a task in exchange for a weekly allowance (in this case, a bi-weekly pay check).
- You feel unmotivated and uninspired. There are times when we feel unmotivated and uninspired to pursue certain things in our daily lives—we shouldn’t feel this way towards our full-time gig as well. If you’re constantly trying to find new ways to motivate and inspire yourself to enjoy your job, and simply be present then maybe it’s THE JOB and not YOU. Let it go girl!
- You’re constantly complaining. You have to wake up too early. You have to stay too late. The people you work with are rude and unrelatable. Your boss is constantly belittling you. You’re the only black woman on your floor. Sis, complaining only makes the situation worse. How many times do we complain about a situation, but do absolutely nothing to change it? Use this opportunity to change your situation instead of complaining about it.
- You’re sacrificing your happiness. We’ve all heard the saying, “life’s too short, do what makes you happy.” So why not literally do just that! Sometimes we don’t realize just how important it is to put our happiness at the forefront of our importance list when it comes to our full-time gig. Simple—if it doesn’t make you happy, don’t do it. I think we fail to realize that being happy is also just as important as being financially secure, however when your happiness is being compromised simply for money or for the sake of saying you have a job—that’s when you need to cut it.
- You’re thinking about things you would rather do instead. You’re sitting at your desk and your mind is constantly wondering off into space. Your focus isn’t on your work, but instead on shopping, eating, or simply relaxing in a completely different space than where you are currently. If only you could teleport to an island with a drink in hand and sand between your toes—but reality says you can’t because you’re stuck at a cubicle for the next eight hours—aimlessly checking the clock. Sometimes, the best things we can do for ourselves, are the things we’ve always wanted to do, but were just too afraid to actually do them.
- The cons outweigh the pros. Sit down and create a complete list of pros and cons over your job. If your cons instantly outweigh your pros, or you simply can’t come up with a list of pros, then there’s a strong possibility that your job is sucking the life out of you and it’s time to call it quits.
- You can’t give the job 100 percent (mentally, emotionally, and physically). When your mental, emotional and physical states aren’t in unison with your work, it’s difficult to give a job your complete all. Although you may be physically present at your job, if you aren’t mentally focused on the task at hand due to your lack of motivation and inspiration, then your emotional state is compromised as well—causing you to become detached from your work altogether. When your mental, emotional and physical states are in unison with your work, that’s when you will know that you’ve found your true passion.
- You know exactly what you want to do instead. You’ve figured it out. You’ve created a plan—and you know exactly how to accomplish what you would rather be doing instead of what you’re currently doing. Do just that! Don’t let fear or failure hold you back from making the decision to quit the job that’s dragging you, and going after that opportunity that you’ve envisioned since day 1. Step out on that leap of faith and do exactly what you want to do!
