I was in pain for six months of the last year of my life — real, serious, physical pain. It started in my right shoulder blade and migrated down my arm somehow, until I couldn’t feel my hand at times, and would have to squeeze between my thumb and my first finger to get the aching …
I’ve dealt with chronic anxiety for most of my life. In fact, when I was a little girl, it was so bad I developed stomach problems. Later in life, almost a decade ago now, I sought the help of medication and therapy just to survive. I’m so thankful those resources were available to me and …
A few days ago I wrote a post
that was meant to bring hope and encouragement to those who dread their
day jobs. I realized, by the time I finished writing, that there was
more I wanted to add, not just encouragement, but really practical
advice.
I know what it’s like
to work a job you don’t love. I know what it’s like to feel like you
can’t quit. And I don’t believe it is always right or responsible to
leave your current circumstance, even if it makes you miserable.
Here are three things I think you can do, however, to make the most out of a miserable job.
I know. You hate your job. You
try to pretend like you don’t but you do. You get in the car every
morning, with your coffee in hand, and take a deep breath. Right there,
in the quiet of your front seat, you have the same conversation with
yourself day after day. It goes like this:
“You can do this. Just one day. You can make it through.”
My family has done nearly the exact same thing for every holiday for as long as I can remember.
We bake the same
cookies at Christmas — sugar cookies with candy canes in them, and
Oreos dipped in white chocolate. Years ago, when stores started selling
those cookies in a package, we kept making them, because it was
tradition.
We have the same
family friends over every Thanksgiving, alternating between their house
and ours. The hostess house always makes the turkey and a few other
miscellaneous things. The other family brings the rest.
What if you had to leave behind the thing you were most afraid of losing in order to get what you really want?
Of
course, this can’t always be the answer, but just consider it for a
minute. If you were sure your deepest desire would be met, would you
give up the one thing you are most afraid to lose? Would you let go of
your job, your house, your city, your spouse, your picture of the
“perfect life” you always dreamed of?
I was having a conversation
with a friend recently about how she wants to quit her job. She’s been
feeling less than satisfied for a long time now and wants to do
something like I did. She wants to take a leap to “follow her dreams.”
“Do you think I have what it takes?” she asked.
I
had so much empathy for how she was feeling in that moment. I remember,
before my 50 state road trip, asking myself (and anyone who would
answer) that exact same question: Do I have what it takes?
This is my real couch. The actual one. The one sitting in my living room (and by living room, I mean the small “not-the-kitchen, not-the-bedroom, not-the-bathroom” room where my husband and I eat food, read, play games and generally hang out). It hasn’t been photoshopped, or even instagrammed. This is it, folks. The real deal. …
I want to give you a free copy of my eBook called The Chase: Thoughts On Quitting Your Job And Chasing Your Dreams. I wrote it for those who feel like they are meant to do something more. Click here to download it now. Note: I wrote this post a few years ago while I …
10 Things I’ve Learned Working at Starbucks With A Masters Degree Read More »
I always wanted to shop at Costco when I was single. After all, who wouldn’t want 47 Cliff Bars for the price of ten? The problem was, no matter how much I loved a snack that was sold at Costco, if I bought in bulk, and tried to eat the whole thing by myself, I …
