Call me: +31 (0) 6 23 031 090
Bel ons: +31 (0) 6 23 031 090
Aahhh you don’t really believe that, do you??
Yesterday I was at a network event in the heart of Paris. And almost everyone I spoke to wanted to change jobs. They were not satisfied with their current situation. Some reasons were: not enough freedom, no variation in the work or just 'I want something else'. What all these people had in common was that they wanted some kind of instant solution for their situation. Something like: if I would work there or do that, then I would be happy.
Unfortunately, those instant solutions do not exist. Because wherever you end up in terms of work, you are still the same person. If you do not find out what really makes you unhappy, then you will run into the same issues in your next job. I once spoke to someone who wanted to become a ballerina. She could then dance wonderfully and be able to stand on all international stages. But even if she would become a ballerina, she is still the same person with the same issues, only in a tutu.
The solution is to find out why you are dissatisfied in your work. And now comes hard part: what can you do about the situation. Of course it is easy to blame your boss or your colleagues. And maybe they have a lot to do with the fact that you are not happy right now. But unfortunately you cannot change others, only yourself.
So if you are not satisfied with your work, ask yourself the following questions:
What need is not fulfilled right now?
What do I find really important in a job?
Which values are not fulfilled right now?
Am I perhaps undermining myself?
Do I still work with the same positive energy as I did when I started the 1st day? And if not, why?
How do I see myself / my job in 3, 5, 10 years?
Am I now comparing myself with another person or is this really what I want?
You can even put a piece of paper on the kitchen table and every time you walk past you can write something again or you just strike something out. Or maybe you can add an extra question.
If you have looked at the outcomes of these questions, you could investigate what you can do about your situation.
What matters to me is that you do not hop from job to job and always run into the same issues. Socrates already said it: Know Yourself. And this sentence is still very important today.
You could think of the following:
If I want to do this job / project in 3 years, what can I do now to get there.
If these values are not fulfilled right now, what action can I take to ensure that this happens
What makes me always want to compare myself with others?
How often do I blame others for my situation? What can I do about that situation?
I know, this is not a 5 second exercise. You can easily spend a whole weekend doing this. But it can give you some very nice insights so that you can find a job (at a new company or at your old employer) where you will be at the right place and extremely happy!
Good luck! And let me know what you have decided in the commends below.