Building a Career with Meaning
A massive number of people suffer from the “Sunday scaries.” Once Sunday night comes around, they begin feeling anxious and depressed, dreading going back to work on Monday. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 15% of worldwide workers are engaged with their jobs. In the US, 70% dislike or hate their current occupations. They despise their boss and their role. The worst part of this dynamic is people are resigned to what they believe is their fate. Thankfully, there’s still amazing opportunities for people in the US to overcome many obstacles and craft careers with meaning. Here’s some tips on moving away from misery into a job you love.
Engage in Deep Introspection
Getting out of a hated job requires hard work and introspection. Talk to yourself about what you dislike about the current role, and consider what you were fundamentally born to do. Pretend you’re an artist and painting a “canvas of your life.” What shape would it take? What would it look like? You need to commit time to thinking about the reasons for your dissatisfaction and steps you can take to remedy your situation.
Remember it’s never too late for a career shift. If you spent five years as a CPA, but hate it, then you aren’t “wasting” the time spent in business school or studying for tests. That time is gone. Focus on moving forward into a career you enjoy, while also taking with you lessons learned while a CPA.
Choose Struggle over Comfort
Resist the urge to become too comfortable. If you’re in a “so-so” job with an okay paycheck, but the job is really easy, then you’ll become complacent. Challenge yourself with bolder goals. This doesn’t mean quitting your job immediately, especially if you have a family to support. It means steering away from comfort and developing the skills and contacts necessary to make a career change.
Change itself is often uncomfortable. But embrace this change as a professional transformation. New activities and new business ventures open up avenues that you would never consider.
Surround Yourself with the Right People
Making a drastic career and life change is exactly what you need, but it can threaten other people. Other coworkers and friends might consider you crazy or unrealistic. You need to ignore the negativity and surround yourself with a professional circle of non-judgmental people. It’s vital to have friends who can offer constructive guidance as well as counsel if they think you’re making a mistake. However, they must exude positivity and support. And fundamentally it’s up to you. Don’t criticize or judge anyone. What you make of your professional and personal life is up to you. Be the one in charge.
Create Ambitious yet Fluid Goals
You need concrete attainable goals. Sounds simple, but many people fail the goal-setting step. They might set themselves up for failure by creating unrealistic goals. Maybe they make $50,000 a year currently and say “I will make one million a year in six months.” Barring some windfall, this is an unrealistic goal. Instead set a goal of an additional $2,000 a month. Or throw out any thoughts of money altogether. Find what you want to do and the money naturally follows.
Think about the journey it will take to reach the goal. Do you want to start your own business? Start researching competitors. Attend some trade shows. Make 1,000 LinkedIn contacts in the industry. Put in the work to reach the goal. Write down your goals and check them frequently. You need clarity of vision to get done what you want within reasonable timeframes.
Goals should also have fluidity. Successful entrepreneurs often start several ventures before they have a winner. They typically set goals that didn’t come to fruition. The solution is often to simply change the goal. Adjust it to the next reality or market conditions. As long as the process pushes you forward and you’re growing, then moving the goals is perfectly fine.
Give Back
When you’ve reached a certain level of success in your career it’s time to give back to the business community. Consider mentorship where you offer your career or entrepreneurial advice to others. Encourage other people to explore their own passions. Someone stuck in a job they hate often just needs some encouraging words from a successful person. Show them the benefits of taking risks and trying new avenues. Mentoring others and speaking to groups isn’t just good for your business, it’s also personally fulfilling. You’ll find pride in giving back to others and sharing tips on the road you’ve traveled to exceed your dreams.
Armand Peri is an American award-winning bodybuilder, artist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Hunk-O-Mania nightclub. Born and raised in Portugal, Peri migrated to the US at 12 years old. He received his First Class BA (Hons) degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He currently owns and operates several multimillion-dollar commercial real estate, hospitality and nightlife businesses.
Armand Peri is also one of the world’s top business influencers, follow his exciting journey @lifeperiway
