If you're not loving your work right now, you may find yourself in the camp of people hoping to quit your job "someday" to do work you do love. Many people come to me in this position for career coaching. They so deeply desire to quit their job, yet don't feel confident that it is the right time. This is especially so because they don't know what they'd actually do next. There is a basic philosophy I offer:
Don't leave a job running away from something you dislike. Leave a job moving toward something you love.
Let me explain this advice with 4 steps so that if you're ever in this position, you'll know what to do! Knowledge is power in this tricky situation, so read on...
STEP 1. Work out difficulties in your current job so that you leave on top.
Sometimes we want to leave a job to get out of a difficult situation. Quitting before we work through and get to the other side of a challenge never works in the long run, because whatever we are running from will show up again. This is spiritual law. Instead of running, if we stay and face the challenge, we will receive the gifts and lessons, and that was the whole point anyway. Also, when we leave AFTER resolving the challenge, we'll leave on top, proud of our accomplishments and how we contributed, not because of resentments. This also helps us leave with key relationships in tact, which practically speaking, is super important for our future.
STEP 2. Set the intention to clarify the job you'd love to do next.
While working through challenges at work, we also want to move toward the work we'd love. The first step in creating change is to set an intention. This means to claim a new direction. An intention is akin to a prayer or personal declaration. It is asking our higher power to guide us or telling our higher selves that it's "go time." An intention can be direct, claiming a line of work we know we want to move toward or it can be inquisitive, proclaiming that this is our time to discover what work aligns with our higher purpose and best talents.
STEP 3. Take action to cultivate confidence around your next line of work.
With the intention set, we must now create time and structure to explore our new direction. The intention invites in opportunities to test out our interests and skills. Through our actions, we actually open the door to our new direction. In coaching my clients through this step, I have them identify test projects for work they might want to do (no commitments yet - just experimenting!). Through their experience in these projects, they learn their best skills, uncover their best ideas, and their career path toward work they love not only becomes clear but they've also have some direct experience under their belt that developed their confidence in the new direction.
STEP 4. Quit your job when you know without a doubt that it is time.
According to this plan, we've simultaneously stayed and worked through the challenges AND moved toward our career joy. So, what happens is, all this crescendos into a moment of completion when we "just know" it is time to quit our job. That's right. We just know without a doubt. Grace comes into our minds and hearts. We have completed our lessons, we've grown into our next level of genius, and we are ready to shift with ease and confidence to our higher calling, the next great expression of work we'd absolutely love.
How do I know this works? This is the formula I used in both of my major career transitions from lawyer to nonprofit executive and then to career coach. I followed my heart with all the steps identified here! Read and be inspired by my career story HERE. And, not only has this worked for me, it also works for my clients. I love getting the call: "Ok. Today is the day to quit my job!" If we follow this process, we just know and in divine timing the new line of work falls right into place.
Spiritual Practice: A Prayer to Uncover Work You Love Many of us who feel like we're not in the right line of work, unfortunately, don't usually think we know the type of work we'd love to do instead. Hello! This was me as an unhappy lawyer. Saying a prayer can work miracles to help open our eyes and hearts to see what we do love and are curious to explore. Here's a sample:
Dear God/Universe/Angels (fill in whoever you pray to), I feel lost. I so desire to give my energy to work that uses my talents and helps others. Yet, I don't know what that would look like as a job or business. Please help me to reveal my purpose and the work that is in my highest good and will bring more love into this world as you have designed me to do. Thank you. Amen. Extra Support: Get My Expert Advice About Work You'd Love Spotting inner genius (essentially the work you'd love) is something I do every day with ease with clients, loved ones, and sometimes even strangers at cocktail parties because, well, I can't help it! It's my intuitive strength that comes very naturally. And in fact, it is fair to say that seeing genius is my genius. If you're wanting to love your work but feel stuck not knowing what you'd love to do, let's chat. Sign up for a free 45-minute introductory session with me HERE.
About the Author
Hi I'm Gina Marotta, a spiritual guru in the areas of career and business and can help you understand and fully shine in your genius. I serve from extensive study in the divine feminine, as well as 20+ years experience as a leader in multiple industries. Professionally I have worked as a lawyer, a nonprofit managing director, and an entrepreneur, and I bring all that experience and wisdom to you. You will also find me quoted and interviewed often as a career expert in media outlets like Thrive Global, The Huffington Post, American Bar Association Magazine, Barron's Next Magazine, and WGN Radio.