It’s natural to put things off from time to time and focus more on activities that you enjoy. It’s common to avoid the tasks you may not take pleasure in. Unfortunately, there are several activities we must do that we don’t necessarily feel motivated to move forward with.
Procrastinating can sometimes be associated with fear of change. You are in a job that you know is going nowhere, you look at the clock constantly, counting the hours and minutes until your work day ends. Your colleagues and friends that have left the company, are making more money. They seem to be more satisfied with their careers. You would love a job that challenges you more and are not constantly worried about your finances.
Fear of Change
You think about making a change, and your heart starts to race and your palms sweat. Your breathing gets quicker and you dismiss the thought. You have a job, the company is doing well, maybe things aren’t so bad.
Do You Like Your Manager?
Your boss has some good qualities, ok, maybe 1 good thing. She or he travels a lot, so you don’t have to see him or her every day. Maybe you love your boss. I’ve been fortunate to have learned a lot from all my managers. They had very different backgrounds so working with each of them, I was able to broaden my skill set. Most people site the relationship they have with their boss as extremely important in determining their level of job satisfaction. I have many clients that started their job search because they just didn’t feel valued at work. They attributed a lot of that to the relationship they had with their manager. If you are as fortunate as I was, good for you. I did however leave jobs where I had a great relationship with my manager because of more challenging opportunities and let’s face it, higher compensation. I had a long-term career plan and needed to take action to meet those goals.
Ask Yourself Why
Have you asked yourself, why you am I sticking with this job that clearly is not working for you? Did you take a hard look at your career objectively and think, I can do better? I can find my dream job. I have a lot to offer. My talents are being wasted. Did you tell yourself to stop procrastinating? If you truly are happy, that’s wonderful. If you are procrastinating; coming up with a dozen reasons you need to stay, then you may want to reevaluate.
Finding a job when you already have a job is typically easier. You can take your time looking, be very selective and not have to worry about when your next pay check will come. You don’t feel pressured to take the first thing that comes along if you stop procrastinating and begin your search.
A career coach can be a great resource in helping you navigate through your career progression. Ultimately, the decision is yours. Whether you decide to stay or leave, taking a good hard look at your career is a healthy exercise. No need to make any rash decisions, just be open to the possibilities. You may come across your dream job, you may not, you never know.