Your Job Shouldnt Be Making You Miserable 2 Other Secrets I Really Need to Tell You - When I Grow Up

Your Job Shouldnt Be Making You Miserable 2 Other Secrets I Really Need to Tell You - When I Grow Up I  really have to tell you something. Its super important to me. It might be a secret to you,  which is why its something I  really need you to hear. Can you go to a quiet space to read this, actually? Turn off the headphones. Shut the door to your office. Go to the restroom and read it in the stall. Just. Get. Quiet. Now, picture  me whispering in your ear and hear me say in a hushed, urgent, pleading voice: Your job should not be making you miserable. Adulting is not  about doing things you dislike. Going through the motions. Putting up with disrespectful people. Sucking up your values, your goals, your dreams and your unique talents for a paycheck. Every day does  not have to feel the same, with the same uncomfortable clothes and the same inauthentic work. Your future does  not  have to be decided for you, at the helm of other people and with a trajectory that  youre not at all looking forward to. Your feelings do  not have to be overwhelmingly negative for  the vast majority of  your week, with a short respite  from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. Your health does  not have to be at stake, with higher-than-normal stress levels and physical pain (even if its psychosomatic, like mine was when I worked for a verbally abusive boss). Your relationships do  not have to suffer, since your loving family and trusted friends dont know what else to say to help you, and you dont talk about much other than  to complain about work. Your career does  not need to be based around a skill set you dont enjoy using and an education the 18-year-old you decided to get. Almost as important to tell you, though, is what Ive found to be true. Take a deep breath and hear me whisper just as urgently, just as pleading: You CAN make a grown-up living doing the work you enjoy with the people you choose. Can you just close your eyes for a moment and let that sit? Please, please actually do it. Youre in a quiet space already. Even if its not private, nobody is looking. Read that line again, close your eyes, and just breathe. When the breath has left your body, when your eyes are open, I need you to know  my truth and the truth of so many of my clients and friendleagues  (those are my colleagues who are also my friends). Being an adult is about  the ability to make your own choices, and you can  choose how you spend your time and who you spend it with. Each day can feel like a new gift, and you can  live your life without a countdown to the weekend. Your future will be there no matter what, and you can  decide to meet it by making a change now and securing your happiness then. Your feelings can  be overwhelmingly positive when you tap into the work you can do that makes you feel valued, helpful, authentic and free. Your health is something you can  transform by  simply coming back to who you are and what you enjoy doing. Your relationships can  flourish by  making a pro-active commitment to make a career transition, and then taking baby steps each and every day to make it happen. You can  absolutely make more money doing work that you love, that youve built yourself, than any of job youve had. It wont happen overnight, but it can  happen. Its not the traditional trajectory of our adult lives, but I know youre not a traditional person. Youre about to feel strong, and ballsy, and in control. But now? Now, I hope you feel  ready. Because the third secret I need to implore is this one: All you need to be to make a successful career change is READY. The courage? It comes later, after youve had the clarity and did the work on the action plan and can see that marked-off To Do list with your eyes open wide in pride and disbelief. The confidence? It comes later than that,  when youve consistently shown up and done the work successfully for a handful of people or more.  Youll hear that consistent, positive feedback and youll read their testimonials and youll slowly realize with your eyes open wide in pride and disbelief that You Actually Know What Youre Doing. The trust? It comes even later, when youve been working in your dream career for a couple years. Only then will you stop holding your breath, knowing that showing up to do your work and continuing to follow your plan will allow people to show up and sign up. Theres trust that you did what was best for you, and that the work youre doing is making a difference, and that more of your people will find you. And yes, even then, youll still have your eyes open wide in pride and disbelief. You  actually  did what most people  dont dare even  dream of. You chose to take control and not leave the next however-many-years-you-have-until-retirement in the hands of other people. You chose to commit to feeling happy and authentic seven days of each week instead of two. You chose the path less taken,  the road rarely traveled Are you ready to Be Ready? Then youre ready to start.