Ever daydreamed about grabbing your stuff, walking out the door of your office building in the middle of the day, and never coming back?
If you have to sit in that grey cubicle one more day, hear one more of your boss’ complaints, or send one more mundane email, you’ll probably explode.
You’re less alone than you might think. At least half of the people Rachel and I talk to on a weekly basis dream of quitting their boring / miserable / stressful / unfulfilling job.
I even had a client tell me once, in an I-can’t-believe-I’m-telling-you-this undertone, that some mornings in the shower she would think to herself, “If I slipped in here and broke my leg, I wonder how much time I could get off work…”
For most of us, our first response to hearing that a friend quit her job is, “Wow, congrats!” or “Man, I wish I could do that.”
Trust me, I get how badly you want out.
I had my own Cubicle Panic Attack when I was in the corporate world, and I almost quit on the spot. Thankfully I had awesome friends and a great coach who talked me off the ledge, at least until I’d come up with a solid exit plan.
I see far too many people quitting their jobs simply out of desperation and a need to escape. And it feels really good for a little while — finally, you can taste the freedom!
Unfortunately, though, the freedom is usually short-lived.
Most people will then take the next job that comes along, thinking that it’s got to be better than where they were.
It turns into a completely reactive cycle of jumping from one unfulfilling job to the next. Sure, you might feel slightly less miserable each time you move … but, come on, you want something much better than “less miserable.”
You want to find something that you can actually get excited about and enjoy. And that will probably require you to proactively invest some time, money, and energy into figuring out your passion and getting some direction before you take the leap and quit your job.
{We’re taking a group of Millennials on that exact journey, starting this weekend, as part of our Passion Plan Virtual Experience — check it out if you want to join us.}
So how are you supposed to deal with your current job while you’re clarifying and getting intentional about what you want next?
- It’s time for a reframe. Instead of thinking of your current situation as a “temporary job,” think of it as a bridge between where you are and where you’re headed next. It’s funding your transition into a career you can truly get excited about. A temporary job can feel like a waste of time. But a bridge job feels like it’s taking you somewhere and is an important part of the journey.
- Infuse a touch of (healthy) rebellion into your day job. Rachel and I recorded a short audio “Clarity Gem” all about how to make your day job work for you, instead of you working for it. It’ll take you less than 15 minutes to listen in and steal some of our best rebellious ideas 😉
- Shift your focus away from how much you hate your job and back to the other areas of your life you can get excited about. {Hint: This will be an important part of your “figuring out your passion” journey.} One of my clients (let’s call her Liz) came to me on the brink of quitting her job — she was so miserable that practically every week she would tell me, “This is the week I’m turning in my notice.” As we worked together to fill the rest of her life with classes, hobbies, and a passion project/business, all of a sudden her job became far more tolerable. She shocked me (and herself) by telling me in one of our sessions that she was grateful for her job since it was funding her self-discovery process until she found the right next job. A small shift in focus can have a massive impact.
Now I want to hear from you. Have you considering slipping out the back door at work and never coming back? Which of these strategies are you willing to try?
Much Love,
Kristen (+ Rachel)
