Who else wants to quit their crappy job?
I heard #QuitYourCrappyJobDay is coming on March 31st.
It is so easy for people to tell you “quit your crappy job” but you know it is not easy.
When you hear it, you might be thinking:
“How am I supposed to pay my bills?”
”How am I supposed to risk my job without finding another one?”
“What if I cannot find a job that pays me enough to pay my bills?”
Or
“It is easy for you to say because
you know what you want
or you already do something you love
or you have money.”
And you might even get angry.
When I heard my very first manager at my very first job told us that, I was shocked. Am I just going to quit my job because I don’t like it? Is that even possible? Is that something people do? Don’t we have to stay at a job because it provides us money? It was really mind boggling to me. Seriously. What a concept. I literally did not understand what she was trying to say. So I let it go.
Just last month when I was attending a conference, an amazing leader I admire gave the same answer to somebody who had a soul sucking manager and a crappy job. Without a blink of an eye he said “quit your job”. I don’t know if the person at the receiving end of this answer felt the same way I did years ago.
It seems simple yet it is not. Because it is all about our beliefs and what we say to ourselves. We are usually not aware of them so our excuses are real.
I did quit my crappy jobs (yes plural) and when I did not have the courage to do so, I was forced to quit- every time. Even the universe could not deal with my crappy jobs. :)
So what should we do if we have a really crappy job?
Is it our limiting beliefs that stops us at our track when we are told to quit?
Does fear rush in so fast that we do not even have time to process it?
Do we just never believe we can find something better?
If we never believe it, is there any chance we will even look for a new opportunity? What is the alternative then? Stay at that crappy job and stay unhappy? What is the payoff in these two scenarios? What is the impact?
If you have a crappy job and somebody says quit it, pay attention to what thoughts come up immediately. Then question them one by one:
1. I cannot leave it because I may not find a new one. (Is that 100% true?)
2. It is unrealistic to leave a job for not liking it, that is what having a job looks like. How many people have a job they like? It is only a dream and it is unrealistic. (Is that 100% true?)
3. I cannot find a job I like because I do not even know what I want. (Can you at least start to make an effort to figure out what you want? Without even leaving your present job yet?)
4. There will be no job that will pay me well and also make me happy. (Is that 100% true?)
At the end, it is our belief system that guides us all. What we can do is at least start thinking about our Plan B for our next job. I have been there, I went through the whole process myself. That is why I started helping others go through this transition. I get where you are. I really do.
Before you quit your crappy job ask some of these questions to yourself. If that crappiness also makes you physically sick, that is another story. It is not worth your well-being or your health. (I still have to deal with my stress induced physical issues after 20 years. You may never get your health back.) Leave now and come out of a place of love and abundance, not fear. New doors will open up for you.
You can also download 7 Obstacles that Keep Us from Finding the Work We Love to read the most common thoughts that stops us on our track.
