Is it time you took the leap and changed careers?

MANY PEOPLE find themselves trapped in unfulfilling careers, struggling to find meaning and purpose in their daily grind. But there is a way out and it begins with giving yourself permission to pursue a path that resonates with your inner self.

The first step towards transforming your experience of your working life, your career, where you invest your valuable time in exchange for an income, is by recognising the signs. The signs that let you know you’re not where you ideally want or need to be to feel aligned and content in your career trajectory.

Whether this awareness is conscious or unconscious, the ‘sign posts’ below will assist you in gaining insight into your ROI from your 9-5, Monday-to-Friday exchange (maybe beyond for those who work overtime). Does the exchange feel fair or even abundant? Or is your experience more down the criminal avenue leaving you feeling ripped off?

1. Lack of motivation

You feel no enthusiasm or drive to start your workday. Your job feels like an endless list of tasks. They may have once seemed interesting, but now feel like a burden; a boring, brain-numbing, time-wasting trudge; an endless portal of frustrations and dissatisfaction.

2. Constant fatigue

Emotional and physical exhaustion become your daily companions. It may be leaving you with little energy for personal interests or relationships and you may find you having nothing else to give when you get home. Adrenal exhaustion is a key sign of consistent stress. There is also a flipside to considein stark contrast to when you are at work, you have a magical transformation as you step into your personal life and morph into an effervescent ball of energy.

3. Stagnation

You see no room for growth or advancement in your current role, leading to a sense of being stuck in a rut. You may even experience levels of ‘resignation’ in your thoughts and feelings. Have you given up?

4. Disconnection

There is a growing disconnect between your personal values and the work you do, resulting in a loss of purpose. Valuesdrive behaviour and when your values are constantly being thwarted in your current career a level of dissidence may creep in.

5. Stress and anxiety

The ongoing stress of unfulfilling work can manifest as anxiety, impacting both your professional performance and your personal wellbeing. Never minimise the negative impacts an incongruent working life can have on your health. The nervous system is not designed to withhold an infinite sense of fight/flight. There may be an underlying hum of awareness that you’re not in the right job so the fear of being found out, fired, being made redundant or not having a path out can be very confronting, especially for long periods of time.

6. Lack of recognition

Despite your efforts, your contributions go unnoticed and unappreciated, diminishing your sense of self-worth. Of course, this could be the result of a cultural environment, management style or team dynamics to name a few. I often say to clients that if you look at the things you like to do you will usually be good at them and if you look at what you're good at, you usually like to do them. It's no coincidence. Where in your career are you doing or not doing things that bring you joy? What do you feel you have a natural affinity for? Where are you missing the recognition you feel you deserve? Do you feel you are ‘surviving’ your job/career or thriving in it?

Is it time to give yourself permission to sprinkle a little, or a lot more, joy into your work life? Transitioning from an unfulfilling career to one that brings joy and purpose is a journey that requires courage and commitment. It begins with acknowledging your dissatisfaction and giving yourself permission to seek a better path.

Reaching out to a career coach or Kinesiologist can help, as can taking one step at a time and transitioning into a new career at a pace and in the way that best feels good to you.