I’m guessing that many readers of this article didn’t plan to end up in the job or career that they are currently in. And maybe, since you chose to read this article, you’re one of them. Perhaps you just ‘fell’ into your job. Or maybe you had no plan, didn’t know your passion when you were younger, or lacked vision. But I’m here to tell you not to worry – it’s never too late. You don’t have to have your job suck the life out of you. Tomorrow is a new day, so focus on the positives. Embrace these nine ways to get your soul back from your awful job:
1. Acknowledge your greatness.
When we’re unhappy or feeling stuck, sometimes we can get down on ourselves. We think that there is no way out. And sometimes we even internalize the negativity. I’m here to tell you this: don’t do that! You are special, unique, and gifted. We all are. We all have something amazing to offer the world. So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise – especially yourself!
2. Focus on other important things in your life.
Maybe you like to play tennis. Or you enjoy watching a good basketball game on TV. Or reading your favorite book. Or taking up a new hobby. Distracting yourself with other positive, important things you have going on (or could start doing), shifts your focus from bad to good.
3. Be grateful for what you do have.
When you are miserable in your job, it can become difficult to see how great your life is in other areas. It’s not uncommon for people to bring their job negativity home to their loved ones. When you do that, your bad attitude can act as a poison. It may even cause you to lash out at your family or friends. But you need to ‘leave work at work.’ When you come home, appreciate the roof over your head, the food on your table, the paycheck you get, and the people who love you. Putting more positive energy into your life through conscious appreciation will decrease the negative energy you feel when you are at work.
4. Figure out your passion.
Do you love to cook? Maybe you could find a job in the catering business. Do you love to play guitar? Maybe you should teach guitar lessons or start a band. Do you love to read self-help books? Then you could start your own website and post positive inspiration for others. Many people think that what they love doing is naturally separate from their work life. That doesn’t have to be true. Once you figure out your passion, you can find a way to make money doing it. All it takes is a little creativity and determination.
5. Write down the essence of what you want in a job.
When I graduated college, I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. One day, I read in a book that I should write down the ‘essence’ of what I wanted my life’s work to look like. So I wrote down things like “flexible schedule,” “lots of vacation time,” “I teach others,” and “I have time to spend with my children.” That one simple exercise helped me focus on what was meaningful to me. And luckily, years later, I manifested exactly the kind of career that I had hoped. You can do it too!
6. Make a plan.
If you want to get in your car and drive somewhere new, what do you do? First, you get the address of where you want to go. Then you program that address into your GPS and let it guide you to your destination. You need to do the same thing with your career. If you don’t know where you want to go and how to get there, then you will just wander aimlessly and get lost. So make a plan and stick to it.
7. Visualize
Research has proven that the subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between fantasy and reality. So if you literally close your eyes and ‘see’ yourself happy in your new career, your subconscious thinks it’s true and will start making things happen to manifest it. Feel how joyful you are when you get up in the morning because you can’t wait to get to work. Putting positive emotion into imagining your happy future will actually bring it into existence.
8. Take action.
Don’t just sit around and complain about your job. Unfortunately, I know way too many people who do that. I always want to shake them and say, “DO something about it!” Complaining changes nothing. All it does is make a bad situation worse. Adding negativity to negativity only gives you more negativity. So get on the Internet and search for other jobs. Start applying. Or make a plan to start your own business. And when it’s time, quit your job and let the happiness begin!
9. Don’t give up hope!
Remember, nothing happens overnight. Some people may look like an overnight success, most people aren’t. It takes some people many years to achieve their career goals. But if you get frustrated and give up, then you won’t ever get there. So commit to your career change and know that it will happen.
So there you have it – my advice for taking action and deciding that you will no longer allow your awful job to suck the life out of you. Stay positive and stay on course. You will be happy you did. Good luck!
