Are You in an Unhappy Relationship with Your Career?

If you are like 8 out of 10 Americans*, chances are you are in an unhappy relationship with your career. Perhaps you started out bright-eyed and optimistic, but along the way something changed and you no longer have that feeling of excitement and motivation you once had. Or maybe you realize you never really knew what you wanted in your career and you’ve been checking the boxes that have been nicely laid out for you: go to school, get a job, and climb the ladder rung by rung until you retire.

Somewhere along the way most people will start to feel a little bit confined by this arrangement, but resign themselves to going through the motions either due to fear of change, obligation, or simply sheer exhaustion. These are valid reasons considering the REALITY IS that you can’t pay the bills without an income. But what REALITY IS NOT is a clear path lined with milestones that someone else made up for you. The good news is that rewarding careers are less like a ladder and more like a lattice: full of ups and downs and unexpected turns. It's how we manage this journey that will lead us to more fulfillment over time. Below are a few ways you can start to rebuild a happy relationship with your career.

1. Acceptance

If you are reading this post you are either related to me and/or you may be going through some of the classic stages of grief concerning your career choices and searching for answers. The first step to moving into a space of career happiness and career ownership is to identify and accept where you are. Think about where you are right now. Are you angry about your career (feeling it’s unfair that you’ve worked so hard, but for what?) Or are you just resigned? (Well, here I am.). Wherever you fall on this spectrum is perfectly ok. The only thing you need to be is conscious and accepting before real change can occur.

2. Find Your Strengths

Although well meaning, most of us were taught to focus on problems instead of solutions, and weaknesses instead of strengths. Think about your last performance review: it’s almost mandatory to identify “room for improvement” aka weak areas in our work. This starts early when we are told to double down on something that we just aren’t that naturally good at (or interested in) in the hope that it will improve with practice and dedication. And yes it is true that with some attention, it will get better. But while that skill improves, you might feel like you’re swimming upstream while ignoring your innate talents.

3. Explore and Connect

One of the best things about the time we live in is universal access to information and people. We no longer live in a society where you are destined to any one profession or place in life. The world is only as small as our imaginations, so even if that simply means reading a book or listening to a talk by someone doing work that interests you, that act can begin to spark your curiosity and optimism about your own career.

Like all relationships, creating a happy and fulfilling career takes time and commitment and the rewards are often in the journey, not the destination.

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Here’s to working happy!

*Results from the annual Gallup State of Global Workplace Poll