How to Survive & Thrive When You Hate Your Job

Lately I’ve read hundreds of articles with titles like “Quit Your Job Today and Move to Costa Rica” “Quit Your Job Today and Find Freedom” and the ever-popular “Quit Your Job Today and Pursue Your Passion.” Well, I am not saying that any of those things are bad ideas and I am certainly not saying that you shouldn’t pursue your passion or that you should stay in a job you hate. But what I am saying is that sometimes quitting your job today is not the best choice. And that does not mean that you are making excuses or practicing fear-based thought. It just means that right now, quitting your job is not practical or wise.

This article is going to talk about how to take the correct steps so that you can practically and safely quit your job without putting yourself at risk for a professional failure or a major financial loss.

My own present situation has inspired me to write this post. Long story short—I grew up in a lower, middle-class family. My parents are both hardworking, my mother an administrator in a hospital and my father a bricklayer in the union. I was the first, and only, one in my family to attend and graduate college. My parents were able to help me, financially, with my first two years of school and after that I was on my own. I had no guidance and like so many people in my generation I fell victim to the evils of Sallie Mae and the “easy” loans they offered me. One liberal arts degree later and I came out of school with just under $50,000 in student loan debt. So that’s where I am at now, almost three years out of college, and slowly chipping away at the mountain.

While it might be nice to “quit my job tomorrow” and move to Costa Rica or pursue my dream of becoming a life coach and motivational speaker full-time — it is not the right time for me to do that, right now. Instead, I am working full-time at an association where I have a steady paycheck, excellent benefits, and enough money to put a little bit away each month in savings after paying out all of my bills.

So, while my current job may not exactly be “dream” material, I am making it work in my favor. Not only am I making enough money to pay down my debt, but I am also putting money in savings and believe it or not, I am getting a lot of other great things out of the experience, too. Even if your current job is not perfect and even if it doesn’t have anything to do with your dream career, there are lots of ways to make it a personally rewarding and fulfilling experience.

Focus on the Positive
Focusing on the positive is the key to life. Seriously, if you can manage to shift your thought to focus on the positive things around you, you will succeed every single time. It’s really simple — focus on the negative and be miserable, depressed, and unsuccessful or — focus on the positive and be happy, fulfilled, and successful. Which one will you choose?

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” —Mohandas Gandhi

No matter what your job is, there are good points about it. Whether you like it or not, the economy sucks right now. Approximately 195 million people around the world are unemployed and that statistic was taken before the economy took its recent nosedive. Whatever your job is, you are making money. Maybe you can afford to put food in your child’s mouth, maybe you can afford to put a shirt on your own back, maybe you can afford a lot of things and every time you start to complain, think about all of the people who can’t do those things. Think about the mother who can’t put food in her baby’s mouth or the man on the street, in the snow, who doesn’t have a shirt on his back. It’s harsh, but it’s true.

Aside from a paycheck, I know that there are a lot of other really good things about your job. Maybe it’s the view from the window on the second floor or the smile on the janitor’s face in the afternoon or maybe you are the janitor and it’s the steaming hot cup of coffee that you enjoy each morning at the start of your shift. Whatever it is, it’s there. You have to find it.

There are lots of little things to be grateful for, focus on those. …Or focus on the negatives and be miserable. You decide.

Change Someone’s Life
Every single day I wake up and I ask myself, How am I going to change someone’s life today? You do not realize it, but you have a tremendous power inside of you. Every single person has the ability to touch lives all the time and most people don’t even realize it. Life-changing gestures can be small — open the door for someone, smile at the people you pass in the hall, go out of your way to help a colleague with a difficult task. They can be large too — practice kindness at all times, be a mentor, donate money or time to a charity. The opportunities to positively impact people’s lives are limitless. Again, this is a choice that you make — every single day.

Do you walk around with a grimace? Refuse to help people in need out of selfishness? Cut people off in traffic? Rely on other members of your team to get the job done?

If you honestly answered yes to any of those questions then maybe you need to re-look at why you hate your job so much.

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” —Wayne Dyer

When you choose happiness and kindness, those things will come back to you. It happens in all areas of life but it’s really important to practice at your place of work. Karma is real and good things do happen to good people.

Whether you are a global peace ambassador or a clerk at McDonald’s you truly have the ability to change someone’s life each day. How will you choose to spend your time?

Work Really Hard, Lookout for Yourself, Succeed
This last one is the kicker. It’s all about attitude. Here’s my attitude: I am going to shine at every single thing that I do. I am going to work my ass off until I see positive results. When I fall, I am going to get back up, every, single time.

I am twenty-five years old and I’ve had at least fifteen different jobs. I’ve been a waitress, a coffee seller, a library page, a camp counselor, a retail employee, and an administrative manager to name a few. Now I know what you’re thinking — fifteen jobs in twenty-five years — what’s to be proud of?! Well… I’ve never been fired from a job. I’ve always left on great terms with my employers and each of my former employers has offered to serve as a reference for me in the future. I’ve also found something to love about every single job I’ve ever had. I’ve learned a tremendous amount in each position, and I’ve gotten promoted, across the board, at each place that I’ve ever worked.

I think that those are some tremendous accomplishments and I want yo
u to know that you are capable of doing the exact same thing. Just adopt the right attitude. I am going to shine at every single thing that I do. I am going to work my ass off until I see positive results. When I fall, I am going to get back up, every, single time. And never, ever forget it.

“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never.” –Sir Winston Churchill

The other piece of this puzzle is to look out for yourself. I’ve written about how some people will perceive kindness as a weakness, and you’ve always got to be on the lookout for that. The fact is that, yes, there are some people out there who will not adopt the right attitude, who will remain miserable, and who will try to drag you down with them. The key is to never let those people drag you down. When they pop up, you keep moving. Pity them, show them kindness, but don’t stop on your path. Just keep going.

Make sure that you are never taken advantage of. If you really are working hard, giving it your all, make sure you are being compensated and appreciated fairly. If you know that you give 110% and never see results, let it be known. I recently went to my boss and asked for a substantial raise. I made sure that what I was asking for was legitimate, did my homework, and presented my case. I was scared as hell! But you can not imagine how gratifying it was to stand up for myself. Even before I got an answer (yes it was a good one) I felt like a million bucks.

The truth is that if you don’t look out for yourself, nobody is going to do it for you. I choose to see the good in people but I am also realistic. You need to strike that same balance in your life to be truly successful and you can do it. Believe in yourself and believe in your cause. Make sure that you get what you deserve, nothing more, nothing less.

When You’re Ready to Move On
There will come a day when you’ve exhausted all of the options above. On that day, you will be entirely focused on the positives that surround you; you will have changed people’s lives; and you will be successful. And even with all of those accomplishments, you will be ready to move on. Maybe you will move into your dream career. Maybe you will take another position because you are being mistreated. No matter what the case, as you move ahead on your path, you will be ready for a change.

I encourage you to move forward then. Take the next steps on your path, but be prepared. Financial advisers say that before you quit your job, you should have enough money in savings to survive for 6 months. I would suggest that as a minimum. Create a budget, calculate your expenses. Make sure that you are financially secure before you take the leap. When all signs point to go, then take that leap! “Quit Your Job and Move to Costa Rica” …or Hawaii or Fiji or wherever the heck your heart takes you.