As of the publishing of this article, I have been working with the same company for 6 years. At the time I joined this particular firm, it was my first taste of the beauty industry career wise. I admit that when I first took the position, I was a bit reticent about where it might lead. I had even thought it was going to be a quick pit stop until the next BIG move.
To my surprise and good fortune, I discovered something I never thought I would; I discovered what it truly meant to be passionate about what you do. I was reminded of how I once felt about music when I used to be a rapper/producer years before. The individuals that I have met, connected with and come to know so well while working at this firm are some of the most passionate and hardworking individuals on the planet.
I don’t know if it’s just the firm I work for, but my experience so far in this industry has been an awesome ride. I learned the most about myself during this time; I have grown tremendously in so many ways because of the exposure I have received. I am naturally a driven person; however, this is the place where I realized my true purpose in life. Perhaps I would have discovered it anyway – who knows? What I do know is that in this place, I not only found a career I enjoy, I also found and began pursuing the reason I am here on this physical plain.
All of this is to say that, there are so many things that are important factors in having a successful career, finding your true purpose and making sure that you are fulfilled. This is what leads me to the title of this article.
Following are 10 significant reasons why I believe YOU should quit your job. Bear in mind that this is subjective and strictly based on my experience. In my view, if any of these situations or conditions exist in your job, succeeding at it will be extremely difficult.
Now don’t all go telling off your bosses just because I may
strike a nerve – be strategic – not foolish.
In no particular order, these are 10 significant reasons to quit your job.
1. You are bored to death
If you are bored to death, your job is basically a dead
zone. You will be completely unmotivated and your performance will be
lack-luster. Boring jobs are for boring people – they actually enjoy it. Unless
you are happy being boring, keeping a boring job is just asinine.
2.
You do meaningless work
If what you do means nothing to others and worse – nothing to you; you may as well just do nothing at all. What is the point of showing up everyday to a job that means nothing – one that adds no value to others and leaves you unfulfilled?
I don’t know about you but if I don’t feel like what I do matters; I don’t want to do it. Something must be severely wrong if I am doing something day in and day out and yet no value is created for anyone – except maybe the guy signing my paychecks. For me, that’s not enough – how about you?
Meaningless work is for meaningless people; it is for those
who have accepted that their fate has already been decided and they are just
going through the motions. Continuing to do meaningless work is selfish, callous
and just plain un-cool.
3.
You dislike your co-workers
This can be sad, intense, depressing and dangerous all at once. This type of environment completely kills teamwork and stifles creativity. When you don’t like the people you work with, you spend more time covering your ass than you do making a difference.
Part of the motto of the team I currently work with is less C.Y.A. and more C.E.O. Translation – less time on Covering Your Ass and more time on Covering Each Other.
Life throws you enough curve balls; you don’t need to be
watching your back at work. Worst of all, you really don’t need to get caught
up in unproductive beefs and disputes with your co-workers. This can only breed
resentment and cause spiteful and vindictive behavior. If you don’t like your
co-workers and they don’t like you – it’s time to go.
4.
You don’t respect your boss
It will be tough to move ahead in your job if you don’t respect your boss. Additionally, how can you learn anything of value from someone you don’t respect?
It should go without saying that whether you like your boss or not – it's better if you can respect him/her. Of course, I have always found it difficult to respect someone that I don’t like – the two seem to go hand in hand.
In any case, respect for your boss is crucial for success in your position; if you work in a corporate structure that has a chain of command, your boss needs to be your biggest cheerleader. If he/she isn’t, you’ll be hard-pressed to get ahead.
You could try circumvention; however, unless the brass
thinks of your boss as a complete moron, your tactic will backfire quickly. YOU
LOSE! I won’t say that respect for your boss is a must but it sure keeps the
wheels greasy for you if you do.
5.
Limits professional growth
This could be tricky, especially if you are not clear on what you want professionally. In order to understand this, you must first understand where you want to take your professional life. Once you do that, it is up to you to steer it in the right direction. Where you work should serve as the vehicle to help you do that. If it is not doing that, you either need to change course or move on.
Be careful when analyzing this factor; make sure that you
are making the right move for the right reasons. Don’t make rash decisions that
can hurt you later. Think it through and in the end just do what’s true for you
and learn to live with the consequences.
6.
Limits personal growth
One of the things I love most about the firm where I work is that they aspire to encourage personal growth and development at all levels. The company really does believe in the individual growth of others because they understand that this makes people feel better and perform better.
If you are unable to achieve any personal growth because of
the job you have, that is a reason to quit. Frankly, it will be hard for you to
achieve any level of real success if you are not growing as a person. It is
through your creativity, tenacity and pro-activity that you will grow. Your
personal growth is vital to this process; if you can’t see that, you’re in for
a long and miserable ride at work.
7.
You lack the latitude to make
changes
If you can’t change anything then why are you there? Change can come from anywhere and from all ranks. The only thing that matters is that the change is positive and for the good of those you work with and serve. Nothing is more important that the way you change and grow no matter what you do.
If your creativity is suppressed; if your ingenuity is unappreciated and your true gifts are irrelevant to what you do, then what purpose do you ultimately serve? You may as well be a slave or indentured servant because you are only doing someone else’s bidding for someone else’s purpose to meet someone else’s ends.
I can tell you from experience that it feels totally fulfilling when your gifts are not only recognized but encouraged. I feel it every day doing what I do. The best part of what I do is that I get to utilize all my true gifts to bring value to those I work with and those I serve.
Change is good – change is growth – we all need it.
8.
You are unhappy with what you do
If you are unhappy with what you do, why do you do it? This cannot be an easy road. Ok, I am not naïve – I know that there are times we do things because we need to make ends meet. I totally get that – who hasn’t done that? You take a job just to make some extra money to do a few things.
That being said, who said you had to be stuck with that? Even if you are currently in a job you hate, you don’t have to stay in it forever. Whether you believe it or not, you do have a choice – you can choose to change it. The question is – are you willing to do what you need to do to change your fate?
Unfortunately, most people are not so instead, they convince
themselves that they have no choice. The truth is that saying you have no
choice is choice to do nothing and accept mediocrity. See, you do have a
choice.
9.
You’ve discovered your true
purpose in life
While you may have a job that you like, it certainly doesn’t trump true purpose. Also, the job you have may lead you to your true purpose in life and then you only have to transition into it.
Life changes and evolves every day so if you discover your true purpose in life, it is your responsibility to share it with the world. It is your responsibility to make a difference in other people’s lives. The only people who don’t want to make a difference are those who would rather be fear-driven than to take right action. True heroes are not afraid to do what they were meant to do – they certainly have fears – however, right action trumps fear every time.
Unless the job you have allows you to pursue and/or fulfill
your true purpose in life, it is definitely time to quit.
10.
It’s just a job
The other factors don’t even matter as much until you are clear on one thing. The title of this article is “10 Significant Reasons to Quit Your Job.” The point of that is to say that, if it’s just a stinking job; it’s not a career – not a purpose.
Jobs are for mindless minions – and if you’re not a mindless minion, the only other reason to simply have a job is to pay your bills while you pursue your real goal. College students have jobs; people in pursuit of a dream have jobs. For the smart and happy people who have their paychecks signed by someone else, they have careers. A career is way different than a job. Careers have growth potential; careers matter – they add value and they are usually fulfilling to some degree.
If you just have a job and no dream; no aspirations to be a
part of something greater than yourself – by all means keep your job. You are a
mindless minion and though it’s kind of sad – you are indeed necessary. We need
you mindless minions to help the few leaders understand what not to aspire to.
Sorry if that sounds harsh but it is the truth. It’s time we stop sugar-coating
the truth and just come out and say it like it really is. If you serve no
purpose on this plain, what the hell good are you?
Just to wrap this up…
There will be many who will want to stake me to the cross for this post and there will be others who will suddenly become keenly aware. Either way, I have accepted the consequences and I am willing to live with what comes.
That being said, don’t run out after reading this and run amuck at your job. This article is simply meant to make you think about your life and your purpose. It is a wake up call of sorts; one designed to help you see some things that may have escaped you before.
If you make any decisions about your professional growth,
just remember to think your actions through. Be strategic and plan every move
before you make it. Don’t tell your boss where to stick it unless you’ve got
someplace better to go. In fact, even if you do have someplace better to go –
don’t burn any bridges while you do it. You never know when you may need to
cross that bridge again. So as they say “let bygones be bygones”; let whatever
grievances you have be “water under the bridge.” This way the bridge remains in
tact should you need it again.
Well there they are; Dean’s 10 significant reasons to quit
your job. Send me your 10 at: dean@deanlforbes.com.
We’ll have a good laugh.
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