Feeling Stuck in Your Humdrum Job? Here’s Why

Many clients come to me because they want more meaning in their life. They want to transition into work that they really love and they feel they are making a difference. Their job doesn’t interest them or they feel bored. They might feel stuck. Or they may feel unhappy. They often drag to work each day because it is not what they want to be doing and every part of their being is saying stop. Some have even gotten to the point that they are physically ill every Sunday knowing that they have to go to work the next day.

So what does one do when they feel this way? What are the steps you can take to transition from unhappy or stuck into a truly meaningful career and actually make money doing it? Here we take a look at what’s preventing you from leaving a humdrum job and how to overcome these boundaries.

Mindset is KEY

First of all, I want to say that a big part of whether you like your job and/or company or not is your mindset. I know this for a fact. I have coached multiple people who hated their jobs, their jobs felt unrewarding or boring and they wanted more meaning and came to me for help. After months of working with me and really determining their gifts, their talents and what makes their heart sing, they realized they were actually in the perfect company and position to make it happen.

Over the past year I had two clients that both stayed in their companies and positions and are happier than ever. They actually look forward to going to work each day. They now realize they already had meaningful work that capitalized on their unique gifts. All they had to do is change their mindset. Instead of focusing on what was wrong with their job and allowing themselves to get upset or stressed out, we worked a lot on finding what was right in their job and company. They were both in leadership positions that made this process a little easier as they had more control. They worked with me to learn to set boundaries for hours worked and how to better manage their schedule so they didn’t feel overworked. We worked on how to more effectively work with their managers, co-workers and employees so they felt more valued and learned how to make others feel more valued which improved relationships. We talked about the importance of sharing wins and celebrating successes.

What if it is all wrong?

If it is a humdrum job that just isn’t or couldn’t easily be fulfilling, then you may want to make a career transition. We don’t always know that until we look closely at each individual situation. We may start with that assumption but it takes time to really determine if it is the job or a mindset issue. If it is the job or company and we have no doubt, we would start to explore your gifts, interests and natural talents.

I have many tools to help to get to basis of who you truly are and what you are meant to do.

On top of that, I would have you answering questions like:

• What do you love to do?
• What makes your heart sing?
• What type of things are you doing when you are the happiest?
• What type of work would you love so much to do that you know without a doubt that you would wake up every morning with a smile on your face?
• What type of work are you drawn to even if you don’t think you are qualified?

Belief systems

Once we narrow down your true character, attributes and gifts, we hit the next big stumbling block: Belief systems. People don’t think their qualified. Or they don’t think they can make money doing what they love as they have always heard from their parents, that would make a nice hobby but it won’t support you. Of course they believe it, their parents told them. And their parents didn’t do what they loved to do, following in the footsteps of their own parents. It has become a cultural belief, a tradition, a way of thinking or being within your family to do what’s necessary to earn a good living and save what you love for a hobby.

That belief systems leads to that big factor called FEAR! This is all I know. It is all I have ever done. It’s what I am trained to do. I can’t do what I love and make money. What could I possibly do that brings in this type of money? Many people choose to stay safe in humdrum jobs and unhappy instead of stepping out to explore their potential and seek new opportunities. It is because it is difficult to leave your comfort zone and a steady paycheck, even if you hate it or if it is making you sick. I have to say it’s not easy but I have helped many clients make the transition to a totally different field doing what they love and have shared a few stories below.

Transitioning

Sometimes, especially when you are the primary breadwinner, leaving a humdrum job requires a transition plan. I currently have a client who is in the legal world and he hates where he works and hates what he is doing. He felt sick every Sunday night and felt ill every morning prior to going to work. First we worked on his mindset and now he sees the value of his current job, as he knows it well, he doesn’t have to work long hours.

We found that his natural gifts are in the area of writing. In fact, he has wanted to be a screenwriter since he was young but was told he couldn’t make money doing that. He is now spending 45 minutes to one hour every evening writing screen plays which is his passion. He has already won several awards and that is building his confidence and his presence in the industry. He has the side benefit of feeling better overall as his focus is on doing what he loves, which makes it so much easier to do his day job because he is more fulfilled inside. I would venture to guess that we are not that far away from him being able to transition to a job like this because of the recognition and accolades he is already receiving.

I have another client who was a doctor. She had always had a passion for science and has never liked being a doctor. She only went to medical school for the prestige of it and never had passion for it. As a result, once she became a doctor, she found she hated it. In fact, she was miserable every time she had to go to work. She even rotated through different specialties looking for a job she loved and couldn’t find it. And she saw no way out as she made so much money as a doctor, she didn’t see how she could come close to matching that income. We were able to determine that science and biology truly made her heart sing. We started scouring that industry to determine what type of scientific positions she could move to that valued her experience and paid a very competitive salary. We found the perfect job in a local company making a great income. The work she is now doing is more meaningful and she knows she is making a big difference in the health and medical research field. She couldn’t be happier.

In summary, don’t let fear, belief systems, mindset or money stop you from transitioning into a meaningful career. Anyone can get to where they really want to be, it is just a matter of not getting stuck on what is but seeing what can be and taking the right action.

Connect with Marla Williams and get a free consultation or visit our directory of career coaches to get matched up with someone who can help you get unstuck.