Is it time to chuck in your job or career? Follow these 2 Don’ts and a Do!
Are you currently experiencing a career dilemma because something about your job doesn’t feel right?
Read on to find out when you should definitely bail out and how you can find your ideal role in the working world.
All my life I have questioned the worth of my contribution to others in the world and have steered towards service industries where I could make a difference. I’ve worked with the unemployed, counselled those with mental health issues, mentored children’s education including special needs and school refusers, and led staff with conscious empathy aligned with their needs and limits.
There have been many difficulties along the way. Seemingly ideal jobs which began with meaning and service can quickly reveal itself as yet another profit-driven working environment. Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with the need for profit until it puts people low on the list of priorities. Ideals can become “reals” very quickly and reduce your dreams to a base level.
There are 2 “Don’ts” and 1 “Do” I have learned that guide me in my career choices:
1. As a Manager, don’t expect anyone else do something that genuinely causes them undue stress if you would not do it yourself.
2. Don’t work for money in a long-term role that you wouldn’t occasionally choose to do for free.
3. Do leave the party when it passes its peak, or you’ll be left amidst the mess.
On occasions, we have to do what we have to do to get the money in for our family and make sacrifices that create some discomfort and pain. In the long-term though, it impacts our physical and mental wellbeing.
There is no ignorance when it comes to the exploitation of others and the environment. People know when they are taking advantage of others. They don’t hide behind ignorance, nor blame someone for not being strong enough or not doing their job properly.
If a person has a conscience for their fellow humans, animals and the environment, they will not intentionally harm. However, we read it in the news every single day about continued junk food and drink sales, human trafficking, mass-manufactured products designed with deliberate life-expectancy flaws, and short-term profit at the expense of long-term sustainability.
I have seen many people transition into teaching from jobs that their conscience could no longer bear. Their reason was to find more meaning and contribute to the education of others, despite the reduction in their earnings.
No matter what role you are currently in, if you are building character, self-esteem, experience, wisdom, and patience you are growing. If you only experience negative feelings, then something must change.
If you are considering leaving your job weigh up the balance of probabilities that it is the wrong role or environment for you.
1. Obstacles and Hard work are to be expected: We all face short-term obstacles but how do the trials and tribulations weigh up with joy and purpose?
2. Work isn’t all fun and games: If you were to weigh your pros and cons with meaning and contribution on one side and money on the other, in which direction would you scales tip? A near balance would be ideal.
3. Careers and jobs involve people from all walks of life: To relate to others requires a degree of empathy, understanding and listening up to a point. What’s the balance that a seemingly difficult person actively shows in terms of commitment/non-commitment, harmony/chaos, positive/negative behaviour, effectiveness/ineffectiveness, selflessness/selfishness, conduct/misconduct, and capability/incapability? Who needs to improve, move or even leave?
To find your ideal role in the working world, ask yourself:
What job would I volunteer to do if I never had to worry about money?
When it comes to anything you question in life, the ultimate ideal question is:
If I had all the money in the world, would I still do this for free?
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