You’re in a rut. You wake up, get dressed, sit in traffic, walk into work and immediately start counting the minutes until you can go home. Tomorrow will be the same, so will the next day. This is the majority of your week. Why are you here still? Why have you resigned yourself to this slow, and unnecessary, death? You have choices! You have options. You have the free will to recognize your heart crying out, begging you to let the sunshine back in. So why are you ignoring it, why are you still here?
Things might get better
Have you already done your best to try to salvage your happiness at work? Is your last glimmer of hope hanging on to the idea that maybe your evil coworkers will get fired? Or that your CEO will finally see how detrimental your supervisor is to staff morale? You can always use the excuse that “things might get better” to stay in a bad workplace, relationship, or friendship, but you have to know when to bow out. You have to realize when things have gone from bad to toxic and waiting around for a miraculous change makes little to no sense.
I’ll lose my status
I would never lie and say that this may not happen. It very well could. But think about the reality – you have put perks, rewards, and status over your own happiness. While more pay has a lot to do with job motivation for some people, ask yourself, is your current lifestyle truly worth your sanity, health, and happiness? Fair pay is important, better pay is even better, but satisfying your financial obligations does not need to equate to unhappiness and anger. Weigh the pros and cons.
I need my health insurance
Of course you do and I understand the fear of going uninsured for any length of time, especially when you have dependents such as a spouse or children reliant on you as well. However, you have options. With ObamaCare you can free yourself from “job lock” and acquire insurance regardless of your employment status. Besides, who honestly wants a spouse or parent that comes home from work miserable everyday? Is a dental cleaning really worth that? Suffice it to say, I have never encountered anyone who left a job they were miserable at that said, “Man I wish I had stayed.”
My job pays well
Don’t use your salary as a crutch, there are plenty of great paying jobs in the world. Your “golden handcuffs” are keeping you locked into a job that is sucking the life out of you. Many marriages and families are ruined over these “handcuffs” and all that is required of you in order to maintain them. So while getting paid extremely well is the goal, just take a gander at what else is out there for you. Looking for better opportunities can help you potentially get a similar or even higher paying salary elsewhere, while working in a much healthier environment. Studies show that those who switch jobs every few years are actually the ones rewarded with higher salaries. Often, large pay bumps occur when you move into a new role in a new company.
Start looking.
I know that this is a hard choice, and can be downright terrifying. And while quitting is definitely not always the answer, I just want to get the wheels churning for those who can identify with this article. Be honest about your situation and start pondering, is my reasoning for staying legitimate or bred from fear? Just think about it.