My mother used to sound like a broken record when I was growing up because she would always ask me when I’d done something wrong, ‘who is the boss of you?’ Much to my dismay, this usually blew my, ‘my friends made me do it’ excuse out of the water. As I grew older, I began to appreciate the true value of this statement. As a result, I often ask myself this when I’m feeling stuck in a job where the staff isn’t particularly friendly, or I feel as though I’m not getting treated fairly. After asking around at an event I was recently working on, I found a huge percentage of the staff also felt unhappy in their jobs. This discovery led to me to compile a list of three ways to ensure your job isn’t the boss of you, and if it is, then you need to consider a change ASAP!
1. Do you dread waking up every morning?
I’m not talking about dreading the sound of that all too familiar deafening alarm, but rather having pre-work anxiety. Everyone would love to sleep more, and some days it takes a team of removalists to get me out of bed. There is a definite difference between having a case of Mondayites and feeling that choking feeling in your throat when you know you have to wake up every day and go somewhere you can’t stand the sight of. If this is you, you need to put more faith in yourself and know there are always other options! The choice is yours, and you never know what great opportunities lie around the corner.
2. Pep-talk Alert!
You know the feeling – coming face to face with your workplace front door, needing to take a big deep breath and then plastering a fake smile on your face before you walk in. We’ve all had those days, but if you’re having one of ‘those days’ everyday, something seriously needs to change. If you’re having to psych yourself up just to get through the day then chances are you’re extremely unhappy.
3. Work-life balance
Perhaps the most important thing of all is securing a happy work/life balance. Unless your name is Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton, most of us need to work hard in order to have a comfortable living environment. However, the choice is yours whether you want to be someone who lives to work or works to live. The difference is staggering. I see people who spend their whole lives consumed with work and never have a chance to really enjoy life. Don’t get me wrong, I know many people love their job however, everyone needs time off for themselves and self-discovery.
