Is there a stack of work-related articles, books or professional journals grabbing dust instead of your attention? Could they indicate how disengaged you feel about your career and hint of a change you need to make; or do they indicate healthy work and life boundaries?
What you choose to do in your off-work time says something important about you, your priorities and your interests.
Imagine you were out and with an afternoon all to yourself. If you wandered into a fabulous bookstore, where would you roam in the course of a few hours? What section of books would get your attention and which topics would you take with you to an overstuffed chair for a relaxing or stimulating read?
If you imagined yourself in the bookstore with the New York Times bestsellers, Steven King's latest thriller or books on home improvement, it could be a sign of a healthy work life balance, rather than an indication of a need for a new job. However, if anything remotely work-related makes you cringe, consider what's behind your response.
What if you were as eager to know the latest in your career field as much as you were to read the favored books on your nightstand?
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
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Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
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Saturday Workshop Series to Jump Start Your Career
Amy Jaffe of Heart At Work, will present four workshops
beginning April 19
For more info: http://www.barbarababkirk.com/amy.html
or call: Amy at 846-0644
I hope that this question made you pause and reflect, because your response could be key to your happiness and satisfaction at work.
If you are among the majority of Americans, you do not love your work. However, you can change this.
You may have become complacent or tolerant of work that no longer satisfies you. Unable to see a way out or hope for change, you may have become resigned to your situation.
But, you can decide otherwise.
First of all, consider whether there are any conditions under which you'd love your current job. If you are hard pressed to come up with any, then the handwriting may be on the wall. You'd probably be better off in another position, company or career. But which is it? That's an important distinction to make and the following scenarios might help you:
If you enjoy working for your employer, but don't feel challenged or engaged in your work, then assuming new responsibilities or a different position might reengage you. Talk with your boss about where you could add value or how your job description could be modified to better suit your current interests and skills set.
If you enjoy your responsibilities, but not necessarily your co-workers, supervisor, or work environment, then the grass may in fact be greener with another employer. As you investigate the options in another company or organization, keep in mind the specific questions you should ask to avoid going from the frying pan into the fire.
If you are no longer interested in the overall subject matter of your field and cringe at the thought of reading a professional journal or work-related book, then perhaps it's time to imagine a new career direction. You may even have a few ideas in mind. If that's true, then take time to investigate these possibilities. But, remember, you don't have to commit to anything before you know it's the right direction.
Life is short…Live your life. Love your work.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
_ _ _ _ _
Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
"Find a job you enjoy, and you'll never work a day in your life." - Confucius
I've heard hundreds of people describe the type of job they'd love to go to each day. While each person has his or her own particular desires, most share something in common: their descriptions are quite reasonable and in line with the current marketplace.
Yet, for some reason, most people assume that the job they desire does not exist—at least not for them. Consequently, they quickly replace the true description of their heart's desire with a modified one that does not motivate them to look beyond their current circumstances.
These people busily create discouraging scenarios in their minds, without venturing out the door. While this negative mindset might be a way to ultimately protect them from the prospect of rejection, it does not allow any room for the possibility of success.
A series of short articles on FastCompany.com by people who love their work, highlights the idea that dream jobs evolve over time. For some, finding a great job is a process of trial and error.
I like to think that finding an ideal job is a process of discovery, much like the child's game of hiding an object, where the closer to the object the child is, she's told "You're getting warmer".
In order to discern how close you are to your ideal job, you need to be aware of what you're looking for at any given stage of your life. As your life changes so might your concept of what is ideal in a job.
Here are a few tips to keep you on track with your search for the job that fits you well:
1. Regularly assess your current job in terms of what's working well and what needs attention given your lifestyle and desires.
2. Make a list of the five most important criteria in your dream job.
3. Think about people whose jobs interest you. Consider interviewing them to determine if what they do is really something you'd like to do.
4. Create time and space in your life for investigating other options. Taking action is often all someone needs to feel more in control of their life and begin to think more positively about their situation. On the other hand, it could uncover a new possibility that's a much better fit.
5. Be aware of your assumptions and how they might limit your attempts to explore new options. Try to stay neutral until you determine the facts and match them with your desires.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
Whether you're hearing from a colleague who has just received a disappointing performance review, a prospective client who voices her frustration about the economy, or your boss who is frustrated by the lack of participation at staff meetings, you do not need to resolve the issue they're describing to you.
But, if you are like most people, you jump right in with ideas on how to respond or strategize for better results when someone talks to you about a troubling situation. This reactive approach is your first instinct and from a desire to make the person feel better or to improve his or her situation. Even though your heart may be in the right place, you are guessing at what he or she needs, and not actually hearing the full story. Furthermore, you probably spend much of the time someone is speaking to you planning what you'll say in response.
It's is estimated that the adult attention span is about 22 seconds before they are distracted to something else and that we hear only 50% of what is spoken to us and retain only 20% of that for any length of time. What we accurately understand from what is said to us is a paltry percentage of what is said. So, there's much room for improved communication through real listening.
Here are several tips on listening that may make an important difference in how you communicate from now on.
1. Give your full attention to the person who is speaking.
2. Look at the person's face and avoid any distractions. If your mind begins to wander, shift the position of your body and try to concentrate on the speaker's words.
3. Don’t interrupt the speaker before she or he finishes.
4. Listen for main ideas and the feelings the speaker is communicating.
5. When the person is done speaking, tell him or her what you understood.
6. Ask questions if you need clarification. For example, you might say, "When you said that you've had it with your job, did you mean you want to quit?
7. Begin to understand that true listening in and of itself is often all you need to do.
“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” --Robert McCloskey
“To listen well, is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well, and is as essential to all true conversation.” --Chinese Proverb
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Jumpstart or Advance Your Career
Heart At Work Career Workshops
offered by Amy Jaffe, MA:
Informational Interviewing
Saturday morning, December 13 - $30
261 Main Street - Yarmouth
Call Amy for details: 207-846-0644
or email: amy@heartatwork.biz
Think about it: does your life and work truly represent you, or does it portray someone else's plan for you? If you are not certain, you might ask yourself how you feel about your life in general. Is it consistent with your personality, values and desires? Just to put this question into perspective, it can take a lifetime to sort this out.
If you are like most, you've spent the first part of your life figuring out what others expected of you and trying to follow suit. At some point, it occurred to you that your decisions were not all a good fit. This realization may be most evident in your career.
Perhaps your work is something you do well and meets people's expectations of you, but is not engaging. Perhaps your work is a way to meet your obligations, but it does not call on talents or abilities you find satisfying. Perhaps your work is more about someone else's dream than your own.
If any of these ideas rings true, you've probably been aware of it for some time, but have not figured out how or if you want to change.
It's often easier to continue with the familiar aspects of life, rather than face into the unknown. However, you can experience great satisfaction when you align who you are with what you do. Anticipation of a more desirable outcome can make the initial questions and confusion manageable.
Begin with four questions:
1. What aspects of my life and work truly represent me?
2. What parts do not and in what ways?
3. What are three aspects of myself (values, skills, or interests) that I'd like to see more of in my life and/or work?
4. What is one step I could take that would bring this aspect of myself more fully into my life and/or work?
Make a commitment to yourself to move forward with this step in the next month and see what happens as a result. Whatever you choose to do does not have to directly relate to the area of your life in which you desire change. You know what they say about taking small steps: they can often have a significant ripple effect.
Have you imagined things you would like to do in your life only to talk yourself out of them because you belive it's too late or you're too old? Then you have company.
It’s common for people to dismiss satisfying ideas and interesting options because of inaccurate assumptions. When my clients express resignation about something they cannot do because of their age, I challenge their thinking by asking: What if your age was not a negative factor? How would you feel about the idea then? Eliminating what appears to be the obvious hurdle can allow someone to zero in on the real issue, which might be fear of failure or fear of the unknown.
Whether you are a 30 year-old contemplating graduate school or a 58 year-old fantasizing a totally new career, it is important to get close enough to the idea to figure out whether or not it reflects what you truly desire. Considering the fact that the oldest person to receive her college degree was 95 and that the second half of life is an increasingly popular life stage in which to change careers, age does not need to be the reason to forego a path toward education or a career change.
Blocks often occur when a person is not clear about what they want and are then distracted by an array of reasons not to change the status quo. One’s age is often a handy excuse not to take the risk. But, the “safe” path can come with a sense of regret.
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.” - Abraham Lincoln
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This year's Women's Retreat in Provence is full! Email me if you'd like to be notified about the 2008 trip.
Thanks to The Secret, people are giving much attention these days to attracting what they want in their lives. Without going into detail about my opinion of the best selling book and DVD, I’ll share what I know about manifesting your desires. Let’s just say that it’s not quite as simple as the popular "wish for it and it’s yours" law of attraction.
First of all, clarity is key. But, that does not mean that you have to know specifically what you want. If that sounds like a contradiction, it's not necessarily so. You can recognize the essence of what you want without being able to describe all the details about it.
For example, many of my clients want a new job or career. Initially, they cannot name the job title, the prospective employer or, in some cases, even the skills they want to use in their new work. But, they are always able to identify the outcome they desire as a result of the change.
Whether it is increased compensation that includes a retirement plan, an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a cause, or an increased intellectual challenge, people know what they are looking for in the transition.
Not being able to identify the specifics often presents a roadblock to people desiring a change. They make assumptions about what they need to know in order to find it or move forward. I believe it is okay, and in many cases, the best strategy, to let go of the specifics of a desire and let possibilities flow. In doing just that, it is likely that options that you hadn’t imagined begin to present themselves. You can start talking about the outcome and see what happens.
In addition to clarity about the outcome you desire, it's important to be flexible around the timeframe by which you want it to happen. Most desires include a host of details that are not in our control. In order to be flexible, you may have to enact a "Plan B" while "Plan A" is germinating (e.g. taking a temporary job while you aim for the permanent one).
Perhaps the most important tip of all is to learn to have patience with the process and to trust in yourself. Both are difficult to sustain amid "get it quick" schemes that lack the discipline and personal challenge typically inherent in important life transitions.
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I'll be speaking at the following upcoming events and hope you might attend:
"Get Beyond the Midlife Crisis: Life and Work in the Second Half of Life" Saturday, May 19, 11:45am, Goodall Hospital's Annual Women's Expo.
"Defining Your Edge: Key Elements To Increase Your Value in the Marketplace", eWomenNetwork Luncheon, Wednesday, May 23, 11am, Portland Country Club, Falmouth, Maine.
This year's Women's Retreat in Provence is full! Email me if you'd like to be notified about the 2008 trip.
Imagine that you have no other place to be for an entire day and you find yourself in the most fantastic of all bookstores. Books and magazines artfully displayed on any topic imaginable, along with cozy chairs and a well-stocked café, are at your disposal. Take a moment and give in to this fantasy, then step back and notice where you go and what you do.
Are you wandering from aisle to aisle to see what catches your eye, or do you immediately seek out that one particular section that gets your heart pumping at the thought of it? Is it understood that you'd be lured in by biographies, or another topic such as home repair, health, art history, gardening, sports trivia or mysteries? Perhaps your passion for cooking has you hovering over the latest tips on grilling or studying the array of food lovers' guides to Paris.
Take a moment to picture yourself in the midst of such resources with no one dictating what or where you have to be. Where do you naturally gravitate and what holds your attention?
…Now consider your life beyond the bookstore and the topics of interest you sought out during your day there. In any given week, how often do you make time for these interests? Is that amount of time adequate? If not, how much more time would you like? Is there a particular interest you would like to pursue, but have not made the time?
It's common for me to ask my clients about their life and pursuits outside of work. While some people do turn hobbies into moneymaking endeavors, they are not the norm. And typically, I am not fishing for a new career direction from their list of leisure time activities.
Rather, my question has more to do with whether or not they are involved in activities that truly engage them. When a person's life lacks meaning, they might think that a new job or a career transition will fill the void that may have more to do with life outside of work. In that case, they may have named the wrong culprit and that could confuse and delay the career planning process.
The antidote: Live a full life that includes activities in which you can wholeheartedly engage. Hopefully, your work will present many of those opportunities. But, after all, unless your work IS the fantasy bookstore, it will always have its limitations that must be addressed by other pursuits.
I'm continuously amazed by the poetic and poignant statements people make as they express their struggle and desire to find work that aligns with who they are.
In a whisper of a voice she said: "I have a yearning." Hearing those words, I released an empathetic sigh and leaned in to hear more of what she had to say. What followed was a dialogue about an intense desire to reclaim a part of herself she had abandoned long ago.
Sometimes we forgo options in life that are more appealing in favor of those choices that allow us to keep our responsibilities or commitments in tact. The choice of the more pragmatic road, while it is satisfying in its own way, can have an impact on us that we do not realize until later in life.
It may not be until you hit 40 or 50 that you notice a pull in a different direction, typically in the work arena. This tug is often vague at first. But, if you give it attention and allow yourself to be curious rather than fearful or discounting, you will begin to get glimpses of what is calling you.
The poet, David Whyte, writes about this experience in his poem "Easter in Wales":
A garden inside me, unknown, secret,
neglected for years,
the layers of its soil deep and thick.
Trees in the corners with branching arms
and the tangled briars like broken nets.
Sunrise through the misted orchard,
morning sun turns silver on the pointed twigs.
I have woken from the sleep of ages and I am not sure
if I am really seeing, or dreaming,
or simply astonished
walking toward sunrise
to have stumbled into the garden
where the stone was rolled from the tomb of longing.
The experience of giving in to a deep longing can be one of the richest in life. But it is important to understand that the path to its discovery is to be appreciated and attended to, much like the garden that is awaiting.
You would be giving yourself a gift in this New Year to ask whether you have a longing. If this resonates, it's likely that as you ask the question, you'll feel it deep within, even before your mind can try to figure out what it is. Work with your images, write down your thoughts and feelings, work gently toward the fulfillment of your longing.
Wishing you all the best for the New Year….
There are many reasons why people become disenchanted with their work. While a desire for increased compensation or more challenge can prompt regular visits to the classifieds, it rarely has the impact of an ethical or values-related conflict.
While there is little empirical information on the actual effects of ethical conflicts in the workplace on job performance, at a minimum, a person will be distracted from the job at hand. At the other end of the spectrum, a person may experience physical symptoms such as regular headaches or gastrointestinal problems as they become more and more aware of the issue with which they are at odds.
Since ethical or values conflicts vary greatly in scope and content, I'll keep this blog focused on strategy rather than on specific examples. Over the years, I've met with dozens of people who experienced values-related dilemmas and they were often at a loss as to what to do about it short of resigning.
Ignoring it is not effective or sustainable. Once a conflict has your attention, there is no turning your back on it or sweeping it under the proverbial rug, as much as you might like to faun ignorance, it's too late for that.
So, what do you do instead of retreating from your situation? First, clarify the issue. Write down your thoughts to help you understand your circumstance and your feelings about it. You might begin by writing responses to the following questions:
• What is the ethical conflict I have observed or experienced?
• What is so troublesome about this for me?
• How is this conflict affecting me physically and emotionally?
• Where in my body do I especially feel this conflict? (e.g. tightness in my shoulders, knot in my stomach…)
• What is my part in this conflict? How have I contributed to my own feelings and situation?
• What might alleviate this feeling? (Allow yourself to go inward to find your response to this one.)
• What additional information do I need to help me understand the whole of this conflict?
• With whom might I speak about this who could be objective? (It might be best to consider someone outside your workplace.)
• What are my options for dealing with this conflict? (Try to come up with several even if they seem difficult.)
• What are two steps I might take to move forward?
Recognizing how a conflict is impacting you as well as identifying your options can shift your perception of it. You may find that paradoxically, if you face right into the conflict, you will avoid the ineffective and unnecessary struggle that comes from ignoring it.
Transitions by their very nature make anyone feel less secure about some aspect of their life. But even in the midst of a transition that has you feeling lost and afloat in a sea of unknowns, you can regain your bearings and get grounded.
If you constantly focus on what is unclear or confusing in your life, you're likely to become frustrated and anxious. While it is common to ponder perplexing questions, it can be counterproductive to dwell on those that do not have obvious or immediate answers. Consider why in the following line from a poem by the German poet, Rilke:
"…Do not now seek the answers which cannot be
given to you, because you would not be able to live them."
Instead of dwelling on the unknown, consider the exercise of focusing your attention on those aspects of your life about which you are certain and clear—these are your "life anchors". They can be as concrete as naming the people whom you love and who support you, where you want to live, and the specific job you seek, or as abstract as "I want to wake up looking forward to work." From this exercise, create a list of your anchors and let it be a work in progress, writing additions as they occur to you throughout the day.
Taking the exercise a step further, begin to integrate your awareness of your anchors into your daily routine. As you awake on any given day and before you rise from bed, remind yourself of what you are certain in your life. Accept your response, whether simple or detailed, without judgment. As you rise and your feet touch the floor, breathe deeply several times in recognition of these certainties. Your anchors will have a grounding effect on your life as you reflect on what is true and real, especially when you lack clarity about other things. In doing this, you'll be aligned with Rilke's guidance as you honor the flow of your life's path:
"…Live the questions now.
Perhaps you will gradually, without noticing it,
Live along some distant day, into the answers."
Interestingly enough, just pondering this statement may provide a momentary relief from the complexity of our lives that keeps many of us in a constant hurried mode.
In the essence of the statement, we can catch our breath and imagine how full our lives might be in a simpler world without all of the material goods and professional ambitions we are told we need, should want, and can't live without. In a Zen-like moment, we get a glimpse of living in the paradox of the blog title where we let go of all we have and experience all we need.
Studies show that most of us long for more—time with friends and family-- and that we want to enjoy the life that feels like it is passing us by. Our hectic lives contrasted with our desire for something different begs the question "Why are we working?" and "Why can't we just slow down and live more simply?"
Juliet Schor, author and professor at Boston College who writes on the "New Politics of Consumption", says it's because we are caught in a cycle of overspending that keeps us in a perpetual spin of needing to work and be productive. Our insatiable habit to accumulate more and more keeps us working hours in excess than we did just a decade ago with no signs of lessening in the near future.
What would it take to create a shift in our status quo? While some of us may look externally (from our employer, our government, our family…) for a change that will make our lives better, we are more likely to experience a timely result when we take charge of our own lives.
Begin with these simple questions:
•What matters most to me in my life at this time?
•How aligned is my life to what I value?
•What is one simple step I can take in the next two weeks to bring about greater alignment with what I most value?
•Repeat this exercise every six months.
Get ready to live a life that surprises you with its simplicity.
Last night I gave a talk to the Midcoast Women's Connection that gathered for the fall kick off meeting at The Common Table in South Harpswell. The long winding drive to the retreat space which doubles as a B&B, was pleasant and provided a welcome transition from my busy day of clients.
The women seemed eager to hear me address the topic of the evening: "How To Feel Renewed in Your Work and Life". It is a subject about which I am frequently asked to speak. The requests for this topic no longer surprise me since I'm keenly aware of the research that cites that Americans are too busy, overcommitted, and caught in a cycle of overwork.
As I began to address the women, I veered from my prepared notes—a tendency with which I'm becoming more and more at ease as I trust in my ability to respond in the moment to what is most relevant. I spoke from my own personal story about times when I have felt the mystery of life with its array of unplanned experiences and how they had been a source of renewal for me.
I explained how the charming French village of Biot shifted from a mere vacation destination to my deeply comforting home away from home. I was totally taken aback by the turn of events that led to my tender and unexpected feelings toward Biot. First came the experience of being robbed by gypsies in Italy that, in a bizarre set of circumstances, totally cut off my money flow for a week, A "chance" meeting with a Marymount sister just days before proved to be my ticket out of Italy as she loaned me more than enough money to pay for my hotel bill and gas to retreat to France where Biot awaited.
Having settled into Biot for just two days, I received word that my mother had died unexpectedly, leaving me only a day to depart for her funeral after being abroad for 8 months. Once again I did not anticipate the next turn of events that proved to be significant in my life—an Air France pilots' strike prevented my departure to attend her funeral and I was faced with the question of how to mark her death hundreds of miles from my family and friends. I will forever remember the 14th century church in the village dedicated to Mary Magdelene where I brought yellow roses, a favorite of my mothers. I sat in stillness and silence as I remembered and grieved. There is a peacefulness that comes with giving in to the present moment and I was grateful for the calm.
The women who attended my talk last night did not know how I would approach the topic, nor did I plan the way it unfolded. Yet, their response was favorable and many shared their own examples of experiencing the mystery of life and its accompanying sense of renewal.
It's not a coincidence that I'm writing this blog on my way to my flight bound for my beloved village of Biot where I hold an annual women's retreat. I just now realized how this venture recreates for me and other women an environment where we can open to whatever life presents and be supported and guided.
My intention is to continue the tradition that I began last year of sharing excerpts of my time in Provence in my blogs. I hope you will enjoy the journey too.
A reader's comment to my last blog raised the important issue of salary negotiation. In this case, the reader wanted to know what to do about a significant discrepancy between a salary offer and what she wanted. My response addressed some of the most immediate issues, namely criteria for negotiating a higher salary if she really wanted the job.
On a broader scale in decision-making about a job offer, the issue of salary needs to be considered among many factors that are less tangible, but not necessarily less important.
Compensation is easy to evaluate since it's specific and we know how it will impact our lives--whether it's enough to achieve our financial needs and goals or not. Some people find it difficult to step back from the bottom line offered and determine how the job itself will affect the quality of their lives. This emphasis on the financial benefits is understandable given the values of our culture that makes a connection between how much one earns and their innate worth.
Recently, I was in conversation with a colleague who had extended a job offer to a candidate after a lengthy interviewing process. The salary he offered was less than the candidate was currently earning, but high in the advertised salary range for the new position. The candidate was disappointed in the offer and stated she had anticipated that she'd earn more than she was currently earning. Note: This is not an adequate reason to demand a higher salary. Clearly stating your value-added and how your skills, background and experience particularly lend themselves to the position will take you much farther in the negotiation process for more compensation.
Her response was a surprise to my colleague since she stated during the interviews that she wanted to change jobs for reasons other than to increase her salary. Eliminating a commute and working in the community in which she resided, plus having more of a direct impact on the people served by her organization were key reasons she wanted to change jobs and ones that were consistent with the new position. But when the offer came in, she hedged on her priorities and ultimately turned down the offer because of the salary.
However, a new client with whom I recently spoke is clearly attempting to walk his talk. While he currently makes a six-figure income, he is keenly aware that the demands of his job have taken a toll on his health and eliminated any semblance of work/life balance. Not only is he adjusting his lifestyle so he will be in a position to increase his options and consider a lower salary, but he is taking the time to explore organizations that support the type of balanced lifestyle he desires. He has determined that finding a job that allows him time to play his favorite sport, explore a new relationship and have a dog, far outweigh the compensation package.
Sometimes it is what is lacking in one's current job that helps a person clarify what they need in the next one. The challenge is often to remain vigilant to what is truly important in the face of the ever-present lure of more money.
This is a question that everyone should ask themselves from time to time. When people lose interest in their jobs, it may be because the job no longer aligns with their values and motivation to work. That does not necessarily mean that they made a bad decision in the first place. Rather, it could mean that the job or work culture changed, or that their personal or professional priorities have shifted.
You might find several people doing the same job, but having different attitudes about it. For one, that fact that they receive a paycheck and time off for a fun vacation might be reason enough to show up each day. For another, it might be the sense of satisfaction he or she experiences in a job for which they feel particularly suited that motivates them. Still another might be inspired by an opportunity to make a contribution to something greater than herself or himself. Knowing what is important to you can help you assess job options as well as determine how closely your current job fits with them.
The following is a list of work-related values. Identify your top three and ask yourself how much they are reflected in your current work. Your response might help you understand your current attitude toward your job.
Value/Priority: Definition
•Achievement: accomplishing a goal
•Aesthetics: desire for beauty and harmony
•Affiliation: be recognized as a member of a group or organization
•Altruism: being of service and helping others
•Change/Variety: performing new tasks often
•Creativity: engaging in something new, artistic or innovative
•Education: desire to learn or teach
•Health: well-being of mind/body/spirit
•Independence: determining the nature of your work without significant
direction from others
•Integrity: work demands that are consistent with beliefs
•Justice: working toward fair treatment for all
•Leadership/Influence: having a direct impact on others
•Moral fulfillment: contributing to moral standards that you value
•Prestige: receiving respect and high regard from others
•Stability a work routine and responsibilities that are generally
predictable and not likely to change
•Time Freedom: able to work according to a personal time schedule
•Wealth: earning enough to have a high level of discretionary
income
If you've thought of it, but couldn't actually do it, you're not alone. For most people, the idea of quitting their job is out of the question. From the financial risks or loss of professional identity, to the advice from some "experts" who claim it's always best to have a job while looking for a new one, there are plenty of reasons to stay put. But, sticking it out in a job that makes you dread the beginning of another workweek is not always best for the body, mind and spirit. Recent research found that the incidence of heart attacks spikes by 20% on Monday mornings from 8-9 AM. That is one reason why I always take it seriously when a client says, "My job is killing me."
So, when is it time to quit? If you answer yes to any of the following questions, it would be a good idea to take a specific step toward some type of change:
-Have you been aware for more than a year that you are dissatisfied with your
job?
-Is your dissatisfaction at work compromising your physical or mental health
(e.g. poor sleeping or eating habits, erratic emotions)?
-Are people who care about you concerned about the level of stress you're
experiencing from your work?
-Has your health practitioner suggested that you change jobs?
To evaluate whether quitting is the best option, consider:
-Are there people or resources in your life on which you could rely for income
support temporarily, if needed?
-Do you have a strategy in mind to generate job leads, develop networking
contacts or information about job openings?
-Can you communicate your skills and experience and adapt them to new
environments?
-Can you afford to be without a paycheck for a period of time? (The average
time it currently takes to find a job in Maine is from 3-6 months.)
If you do decide to give your notice, realize that many people have secured employment while being unemployed, particularly since the onset of downsizing in the 80's. It is important to be able to address with a prospective employer why you left your job. These days, quality of work life is commonly accepted in the marketplace as a reasonable expectation.
While quitting may be the best decision for some, it's not the only option for a change at work. Perhaps there are modifications to your existing job, a transfer to another department, or a promotion to a more challenging opportunity. Motivational speaker, Susan Arledge, in her talks on "TGIM" (Thank God It's Monday) provides employees with practical suggestions to become more engaged with their current jobs. From requesting promotions, to delegating some tasks and taking on others, there's advice in her presentations that everyone can apply to make their jobs more satisfying. Employers are encouraged to consider employee's suggestions on how to increase enthusiasm for their work. It's a win-win situation as happy employees are also more productive.
Recognizing that you have options may be just the mindset you need to move forward toward more satisfying work.
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