WHEN DO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH

There comes a time in your life when everything that you have been through, mentally and emotionally, all the heartache that the people who means the most to you put you through, you ask your elf is it all worth it? should i continue or should i stop? 

I bet there are things you are holding onto that simply are no longer worthy of your time. It’s not that they’re not worthy goals for someone… they’re just not goals worthy of your life. But it’s just not a good use of your life to hang on. Think big, act big. Don’t be afraid to move on.”

 

– Jason Leister

How to know that you need to change your job…

1. You are no longer learning in your current job
2. Despite being a proactive, driven person you are finding it hard to motivate yourself
3. You realise you’re not as interested as you would like to be in your company’s field, industry, or sector
4. You find it tough to get out of bed in the mornings
5. You dread Mondays (no one loves them – but if Sunday evenings are dominated by fearful apprehension at the coming morning, it’s not a good sign)
6. You’re an optimistic person but you find yourself thinking cynical thoughts about your company
7. You find it hard to see how your work has any real impact on the company and your clients
8. You spend most of your time dreaming of alternatives to your current job
9. While you can do your job well – you know you’ll never be really good at it – and you also know that there are things out there that you could be amazing at
10. You have a nagging feeling that there is more to life – just as Attenborough did with his Moment of Truth
11. You justify spending 228 days of the year doing your job so that you can do what you want with the other 137 (weekends, holidays and bank holidays) – see what my Esc partner has to say about that in The Quest for True Happiness
12. You find yourself counting down the days to your next work milestone – promotion, pay rise, qualification
13. You find yourself working out how much money you need to save to go and pursue the career that you want to. If you haven’t done this yet, but want to, check out my Esc partner’s Escape Plan for inspiration.
14. You feel that the distance between the dream of working for this company and the reality of doing so are too far apart for you to be happy if you continue working there
15. You’re avoiding extra work at work, you’re not actively looking for more interesting and engaging things to volunteer for
16. You find yourself rationalising the reasons for staying – it’s not that bad, it’s boring but I can go on 3 great holidays a year, I’ll have enough money in the future to maintain my lifestyle – challenge yourself: are these reasons or excuses?
17. You told yourself you would do it for 2 years and you’ve been there for 4
18. You already know that you can’t do this job for till you’re 65.  What are you waiting for?!

If any or all of these points strike a chord with you then perhaps it’s time to Stop Dreaming and Start Planning.

No one else is going to give you permission.

Stop making excuses for not making the leap. If you want another job you can get another job –

How do I Know if It's Time to Change Jobs?

Most employees wonder whether they ought to make career changes or keep working for the same company. It’s definitely not uncommon for people to decide it’s time to change jobs, and in fact, the US shows that people change jobs frequently during their lifetimes, or even may have several different careers throughout their working years. The question of whether it is time to change jobs is still a complicated issue and should require consideration of several factors.

Of course, many people make this decision because they are unhappy at their present job. Before deciding it’s time to change jobs, you may want to consider the source of this unhappiness and whether it is possible to fix it at your current place of employment. Perhaps you are not being compensated enough, and this might be changed through salary negotiation. You may be unhappy at home, which is transferring to unhappiness at work. Really analyze this, perhaps by doing some writing or listing of positives and negatives in your current job, before making the leap to another position, or quitting without one.

The following include some common reasons which may indicate it’s time to change jobs. You may not be getting paid enough for your experience or dedication to work, and the company shows no sign of giving you better compensation. You may not fit in socially with your workmates. You have managers or management who don’t manage constructively or well, resulting in a great deal of stress or unhappiness on your part. 

Another reason you may want to change jobs is if you understand that layoffs in your company are imminent. If the company plans to lay off a huge amount of workers, it may be in your best interest not to wait for this to occur, but to move on to a better company or career now, when possible. Most people who have undergone large company layoffs cite the difficulty of finding a job when you’re out of work and feel that it’s much better to take another job while you’re still employed. Alternately, if you feel you might be fired in the very near future, changing jobs now may prevent your having to claim that you were fired on your resume.

The trouble with changing jobs, as most people can tell you in insecure economic times, is that company layoffs are common. If you enter a new job you tend to lose things like seniority in a company. This may impact how close you are to getting laid off in a new job environment, and may make the idea of changing jobs very frightening. You have to weigh the risk versus benefits when you think it is time to change jobs, and you might want to sock away things like hiring bonuses for emergency funds if you change jobs and then lose it.

Also, you should evaluate whether a problem rests with your work environment or with your work as an employee. If you are routinely disrespectful of others, late to work, or absent from work, or if you have a history of being unable to get along with other employees or managers, changing jobs may not solve the problem. Take a good look at your work history to decide whether you should possibly change the way you work instead of the place you work.

Some employment counselors say you should always be looking for your next job, since many people advance in their field by moving to different employers. Moreover many claim that you should always consider it time to change jobs if new and exciting job possibilities arise. This is in the main good advice, and it doesn’t hurt to have an active resume going, or to have a headhunter looking for your next great job. Even simply scanning the paper or sites like craigslist once a week may let you know if you are being adequately compensated and cared for at your present job. It never hurts to see what else may “out there” in your field, and to get your name out to employers that might be interested in you now or in the future.