Instead of bounding out of bed each morning, some people hate going to work. While they might be grateful to have a steady stream of money being deposited into their checking accounts on the 15th and last day of every month – and perhaps even health insurance to boot – they don’t like the job groove they feel stuck within.
If that sounds like your story and you don’t know where to turn, here are tips on getting out of your career rut:
1. Do one practical thing towards your new career every day
Don’t be overwhelmed by thinking you need to make some gigantic change to follow your passion. Instead, while keeping your day job, perform at least one activity each day in the direction of your dream career. If you’re a barista at Starbucks with dreams of becoming an international model, that one step might mean registering for UK Models – or if you’re a corporate America stiff with dreams of being a sportscaster, upload your first ESPN-style sports commentary video to YouTube.
Activity begets activity, and by throwing a bunch of stuff in the direction of your bliss, something’s got to stick eventually.
2. Pretend you have $50 million
The first tip is great, only if you already know what your new dream career would be. However, there’s a subset of the public who are confused as to what they’d like to actually do.
In order to find your heart’s desire, ask yourself these questions: If you received a $50 million inheritance free and clear tomorrow, what would you stop doing? What would you continue doing?
If your answers run along the lines of quitting your job and taking the next season to write the Great American Novel, chances are your desired vocation is that of a novelist.
3. Keep a dream journal
Every morning upon waking for the next 30 days, jot down what you can remember about your dreams. The subconscious provides plenty of clues – albeit symbolic and sometimes hard to decipher – that could help you determine what you really want to do with your life.
If you’re really busy, devoting tons of time to your current job, sometimes the nighttime is the only right time where you’re silent enough to truly listen to what’s going on inside. This “artist’s way” of uncovering internal messages could lead you on a better path.
4. Create your own job
There are instances when you might not find exactly the kind of career that floats your boat whilst searching through listings on Indeed or other popular job boards. Perhaps that’s because the niche job that would be perfect for you has yet to be invented – until you create the field.
When companies like the ridesharing firm Uber were launched, they created a successful market that not many folks realized there would be such a high demand surrounding – at least enough to turn it into the behemoth that it is today. In the same manner, that new invention or service that’s been rattling around your head or is the subject of your doodles could transform into a million-dollar firm when launched.
5. Do something crazy and out of the ordinary
Generally, people who are stuck in career ruts might be truly responsible, measured and non-risk-taking type of souls that tend to remain in situations that are no longer working for them beyond the time they should.
Instead of impetuously quitting your job, go against the grain of your normally staid personality and try a task that will shake you out of your comfort zone. Take a Toastmasters International class to practice giving impromptu speeches in front of strangers, or sample a hot yoga session.
You never know what new doors might open if you try something different – and by trying all of the above tips, you might find your destiny sooner than you expect.
Featured photo credit: Exhausted young man with card boxes over him / Stock Photo ID: 46776250 via bigstockphoto.com
