To have a job we enjoy

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Last Updated on March 6, 2019 by Lucie Klabanová

What to do when you cannot continue doing what is not fulfilling you?

Most of us like to work. Only a small group of people would appreciate doing nothing at all. The truth is that doing nothing is boring as well as entering the never ending circle of not-good-enough, useless and unnecessary feelings.

More important is, WHAT we want to do. It is not enough to do anything. If you push an artist to count salaries, it will not turn out to be a good idea.

Each of us has certain prerequisites what we like and enjoy doing. If we want it or not, we have it inside us. Our parents can get mad when they want us to be a doctor, while we could be playing piano all day and night. :-)

I hope nowadays less than when I was a school girl parents are trying to push their kids in some ideal social “box”. Our education system has not well enough understood (or accepted?) that it is much better to develop everyone’s strength rather than trying to teach a dyslektik to get best mark from languages.

And we hold this approach also later, during working years. Lot of companies try to fill in a free position after an employee who left, rather than finding a new great person who could bring the same result, but achieving it by walking a different path so they would need to adjust the position for him.

If the company is so old fashioned and rigid also towards you, not looking at the jobs in relation with their employees and their abilities, sooner or later your patience will be gone. You will end up doing what you are asked to and nothing else, and do it exactly how you are asked to. You will be disappointed and the “cup will be filling”. And one day, it will overflow.

Of course there are more other reasons why you nerves might rupture, from disagreements with colleagues or boss, up to personal development that just takes you to somewhere else than you expected.

I have experience with the rigid approach: I came to a point where my employer wanted to put me in analytical role, because my knowhow in that field is better than others. But unfortunately that is not where I get the famous “flow”. And so I end up doing more and more tables, processed data, prepared budgets… and everything else what I enjoy, makes sense to me and drives me forward was abandoned. Until it died completely. And then it was too much.

What to do in such situation? How to cope with that? Does it make sense to pretend that everything is ok and let it just be or run away?

In such moments you need to be selfish and think of yourself first. If you do not slip down to permanent depression from where it is hard to get out of, you need to act in time.

Take some time off. Not everyone can afford a week of holidays, but even few hours or days, when you have some distance from problems, can help you gain needed insight.

Let go off emotions. It makes no sense they are not there. Work is part of life and lives are lived by people. People do have emotions. It is our sign that something is wrong. You know yourself best, you know which emotions do appear in your case. It is up to you how you let them go. Just remember not to hurt someone else.

Go in the nature or do something, you really enjoy doing. Focus your mind on something positive, that you know is really comfortable for you. Sun and birds singing in the forest can do miracles. Or if dancing or painting is what makes you calm, dedicate some time to it. To switch to positive thinking cannot be done by finger snapping, you need to help it.

Disconnect. Switch of emails, phone and social networks for as long as you need.

Practice yoga or meditate. Nothing soothes the mind as yoga and meditation.

Clean up your house. Order at home helps you find order in your soul.

Speak to you boss. But only after you are more or less back to normal. It is no good to start solving it immediately, as inside of flow of emotions the important message can get lost. If possible, prepare yourself for thit talk.Write down points you want to mention. Everything that worries you and why. Explain your perspective. Try to be factual, but do not prevent information, how things do affect you. What is important for you might not be important for someone else. Now it is about you. You need to explain your attitude. If you have a good boss you will leave this meeting

– With relief
– With gratitude he listened to you
– Clear plan what and how to change.

And last but not least. Do not run away. In fact there is bread of two crumbs everywhere and you will be solving other things somewhere else.
Only when it is clear that your boss has no interest in helping you solve your situation there comes time to look for change. But about that next time.