Being in a job that enslaves you can suck the life out of you. It wrecks havoc with your self-esteem. It can ruin your enthusiasm for work. It could literally beat you up.
Are you willing to let go of the known evil for something better? For something unknown and uncertain?
You know the biggest reason people stay in jobs? Inertia! That’s right. We get comfortable and stay with the familiar.
When we’re not happy, the other things that keep us in our jobs are the percs and logistics: the benefits, the commute, the ability to get home at a reasonable hour.
Not work satisfaction.
Here’s how many of us handle situations where we’re enslaved:
We get comfortable with our lot. We become complacent. The burden becomes familiar. That’s the all too frequent inertia that keeps people in lousy jobs.
We complain a lot and don’t take action. Yeah, yeah… you’re going to leave. You aren’t treated fairly. You’ve got a crummy boss.Kvetch, kvetch and we stay.
We fight back by challenging our supervisors, filing complaints, or finding ways to make the company the perpetrator. We engage in a pitched battle with the enemy, so to speak. And we stay engaged in that fight rather than putting energy into moving on.
We set our sights on something better and make the time to put a plan in action, building a support system, creating reserves to sustain us during hard times, and taking steps to keep our spirits up.
You can bet there are plenty of bitter, enslaved people working at jobs they hate and many still who can’t find jobs because they’re angry and feeling beat up (and plenty who carry emotional baggage from bad jobs and bad bosses; or who have burned bridges and been fired; or quit in a fit of pique; or filed lawsuits and became pariahs.)
We’re tired. We don’t have the confidence to go after something new. We’re bitter. And we’re still thinking and acting like victims.
So, what helps us move on with the sense of promise? And, what will support us when we’re ready to give up?
Laura’s Four Steps toward Freedom
I’m going to give you four key steps on the path to freedom. These apply to a career move and to any shift out of slave-like thinking and acting.
- Decide it’s time to take action
- Get clear where you’re going
- Work on changing your attitude- you may have to break free of more than a job or a boss that shackles you- you may have to break free of beliefs, patterns, habits, and attitudes that get in your way!
- Get a support system to remind you that you have great things to offer an employer. Get help to separate the bitterness that may be in your system from the sweetness that you have to offer and the sweetness that you’re after. You want to put your best self forward as you move on to your promised land.
And that’s where a coach, colleagues, friends and family come in. We can help you break free of bad jobs and hard feelings. We can help you get clear about your value and your criteria for a fulfilling job. And we can help keep your spirits up when you need a champion to help you keep the faith.
Choose freedom! Let go of your burden! Join me in being intentional and free!