I know, I know. You’re stuck in a job that is driving you nuts. Underpaid, overworked, working a horrible shift, who knows what it is. You know you’re worth more than what you’re in right now. More than likely, you ARE worth more than your current situation (of course there are those delusional people that think they should be making CEO pay for grocery bagger level work) so instead of getting discouraged just keep your eye on the prize and eventually you’ll get there.
“C’mon Chia…you’re just rambling on there. Let’s be realistic”.
I AM being realistic. Trust me…over the years I’ve worked the gamut of jobs that have tested me in every possible way. There are plenty of ways to keep yourself sane while dealing with a crap job and now a crap job in a crappy economy.
Random note…I originally wrote this on Chia Town, a site dedicated to business/technology issues that inspires thought in the business world and hopefully inspires a new breed of entrepreneurs while also keeping the full time worker informed and inspired. After setting the next three steps I realized these could be applied to life in general so here they are. If you feel inspired to see what’s up in Chia Town and what inspired me to write this…go right ahead.
1) Set some goals – Set a bunch of goals for yourself. Set financial goals, material goals (I want a new car, snowboard, stereo, etc), personal goals (travel, learn a language, etc) and other goals. Set both strategic and tactical goals. One month, three month, six month, one year, five years. Write them all down. Review them once a month and revise that goal sheet. Hopefully you’ve achieved your one month goals and perhaps more. I’m sure at some point your other goals will change. It’s fun to do this with someone else too so you can compare goals with each other and keep each other honest.
2) Keep your eye on the prize – Look at your goals and keep thinking about them. Don’t get muddled down with the mundane aspects of life, the crappy hours of your job, your finances. Keep looking forward to what you’re trying to achieve.
3) Break down the work – It can be daunting when you have a giant laundry list of things to do or have a giant project to work on. Break it all down into small manageable tasks. Suddenly it’s much easier to crank through it all when you tackle five small tasks at one time…five small tasks that in turn end up being nearly half of the original project.
If you’re working that job that doesn’t satisfy you, keep your chin up. Do steps one through three above. One of your goals could be to find a new job. Or perhaps just to better your position in your current company. Whatever the case may be, you CAN improve it. Let those who believe there’s nothing that can be done about the situation stay where they are while you improve your life.
And…as always…think about starting your own company. It’s more fulfilling than you can imagine…
Good health to you all!
