I’ve encountered this scenario hundreds of times with my clients. “I hate my job, I know I should quit, but I don’t have anything to transition to that is going to make me as much money as this job so I stay. If I knew for sure that a new career would work for me, I would leave this job in a heartbeat, but there’s just no way I can see to make this happen. I’m trapped.”
Are you in this boat?
I’ll tell you what’s happening. Your intuition is telling you to leave the job but your logic and fear are kicking in and keeping you trapped in a job you hate.
Stop letting fear and logic dictate your life.
I had a conversation with a friend the other day. It went something like this:
Her: I’m not sure what to do about my career. The job I have is easy but I really don’t like it. It pays the bills though.
Me: Ask your intuition if you should stay in the job.
Her: Intuition says no way. But…
Me: Stop right there. Your intuition is telling you to leave this job. Period. End of story. There are no buts. The answer is that you need to leave this job. Your intuition is screaming this to you every day and you’re not listening or taking action.
Her: But I can’t just leave my job. What would I do instead?
Me: Well that’s a separate question isn’t it?
Her: What do you mean?
Me: Every fiber of your being is telling you to leave your job. Every time you walk into your job and feel your energy drain that’s a signal from your guides, the universe, your gut, your intuition, that what you’re doing is wrong for you. Honor that. At least admit to yourself, “I don’t want this job anymore.”
Her: Fine, I don’t want this job anymore.
Me: How does it feel to say that out loud?
Her: (with a big deep sigh) Really good! I don’t want this job anymore. I hate it.
Me: Excellent, just sit with that for a moment. How do you feel?
Her: I feel relieved.
Me: That’s how you know you’re on the right track. The feeling of relief is a clairsentient indicator that you are in a place of truth. Simply admitting the truth of your feelings and situation is enough to start with.
Her: I like it. But now what?
Me: Now we talk about what you’re going to do to get out of your job. I’m not saying you need to quit tomorrow, but stop telling yourself that you’re happy with the job, or that it’s tolerable, or that you can bear it because you have to, or that you love that it pays your bills. Stay with the feeling that is true. You hate your job and you want to leave it.
Her: Okay, I think I can do that.
We then went on to discuss a transition plan for her, which included getting clarity on her passion, her abilities, and her financial needs. By the time we were done, she felt like she had a way out. It was like digging a tunnel in a prison that led to freedom and fresh air, one spoonful of dirt at a time.
Does the transition happen overnight? Probably not. But stop telling yourself you’re happy with your prison. Admit you hate it then make a commitment to finding a way out.
Just because you don’t know how to fix your situation doesn’t mean you should accept your situation.
Once you decide you’ve had enough, solutions will begin to present themselves. Simply place your order with the universe. “Universe, I don’t want this job anymore. Help me find a way out.” Now you’re turned in the right direction. You’re aligned with your own inner truth. You’re not resisting anymore.
So what happens next? Typically this is what happens.
You start telling friends and family that you want to leave your job and you’re looking to do something else. People give you ideas, support, and encouragement. That’s more than you had before.
You start noticing job opportunities elsewhere because now you’re open to leaving your job and moving to something else. You didn’t see those before because you were committed to tolerating the bad.
You start daydreaming about what else you’d like to be doing. You didn’t do that before because you thought there was no way out so why bother dreaming about it.
You take a class, or talk to an expert in a new field, or speak to a recruiter, or get certified, or read a book, or put more effort into a hobby. You didn’t do that before because you didn’t think there was any point.
You decide on a new career that you believe will make you happy and you take the steps necessary to transition into it while keeping your old job so you can still pay the bills. People do it all the time. You can be one of them. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how inexperienced you are, or how scared you are. Take the steps to make the transition.
But don’t ever deny your intuition, because it’s trying to guide you to a better life.
Don’t let fear or logic or uncertainty keep you trapped in a job that doesn’t make you happy. Stop telling yourself it’s not so bad, or that you can live with it, or that you’ll just deal with it.
Let people help you. Let your guides and intuition help you. Help yourself to the life you want! You’re entitled to be happy. I know, what a concept right? 😉
