Friday, April 29, 2016

Why Do (or Did) You Want Out?

There is a statistic that 80% of U.S. workers are unhappy in their job. 



Of those unhappy workers, only some will take action to find another job. 



Maybe just a different boss. 
Maybe a different position.
Maybe a different company.
Maybe a different city or state.

Of those unhappy workers who take action to find another job, a small number will make very definite decisions and take targeted specific actions to find a new direction in that next job. 



Maybe they will seek out specific workplace environments they want to be a part of.

Maybe they will seek out a culture that is more in line with their personality and their values.

Maybe they will seek out a company that is working towards a goal that is more in line with their personal goals and a purpose that is in line with things that they believe, or really want to align themselves with.

Of those that are making definite decisions and taking targeted actions, very few will decide another job is not the answer.



Those very few will begin another path altogether, and start the journey of an entrepreneur, or a small business.

Many of you reading this are in that last group, even if you haven't left that unhappy job yet, you're on that path, that journey.

But it all has to start somewhere. You have to want out.

For me, it started years ago. (You've heard many versions of this story over the years, so I'll stick to the high points.) My husband had been laid off from a job that he had grown to despise that had driven him into depression. We had made the decision as a family to take another path, and to follow his passion and his childhood dream to become a professional pilot. This required a financial risk and commitment as well as a lot of lifestyle changes. I started a "side gig" with a direct sales company to help bridge the financial gap. 

That's when I saw the possibility of something different for my future. 



I grew up with a Mom that worked full time, for a job she didn't love, but it had good benefits (yadda yadda yadda), and a Dad in sales, which always seemed to be a cyclical success. We'd have good months and bad months, and it seemed that my Mom always wished he'd just "get a regular job".

But as I was exposed to more and more in the direct sales and later entrepreneurial worlds, I grew more and more hopeful that the 9-5 gig wasn't the answer for me.

But what was wrong with the 9-5 gig? What made me different? What moved me from the 80% that are just unhappy to the very few that start that other journey? 

It's all about the why you want out. 

What is it that makes you unhappy in that job? 
Is it the position? 
Is it the boss? 
Is it the company?
Is it the culture? 
Is it the environment (do you hate cube life)?

Or is it more... is it harder to describe? Does it feel more nebulous? Do you feel a little embarrassed to talk about it?

For me, it was (and still is) 2 major things. 

  1. My job doesn't matter. In the grand scheme of things, if no one was doing this job tomorrow, the world wouldn't be any worse off. It doesn't make the world a better place in any way. If the whole company went away, the world would barely notice.

  2. I want to enjoy my life, my husband, my time. NOW! I don't want to wait until we retire to really live our lives. I don't want to have to ration my enjoyment, I don't want to have to ask someone else's permission to go do the things I want to do with my husband, my family and my friends.

What about you? If you have left a "job" that you were unhappy in for something else, why did YOU want out?

I'd LOVE to hear your story! 






No comments :

Post a Comment