What to do when you’re no longer happy with your job…

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I bet everybody has, in one way or another, felt unhappy with his/her job. In my 11 years in the corporate world, I have recently come up with just three rules when caught in this “I-am-not-happy-with-my-job-anymore” situation.

1.     Don’t Quit, Suck It Up. We sometimes want to quit because we are not happy with changes in the company, or with the people we work with, or with our salaries, or with our workplace, or with anything, lastly, with our boss. If these are things or reasons that are unlikely to be changed, then there’s nothing you can do but to suck it up. If quitting is not your option, and you don’t want to do anything, just suck it up. My boss told me this, and I tell my staff the same thing: “There are things that our boss doesn’t want to do, things that I don’t want to do, and things you don’t want to do, but we gotta do what we gotta do if the business requires it.”

2.     Don’t Quit, Change Your Attitude. If you are the person who is more positive about things, has an open mind, and is more accepting, then instead of sulking and whining about how unhappy you are with your job, then change your attitude! Always look for the brighter side aka the “silver lining” of everything that’s happening around you. If the company decides to not give you any pay rises for the year, think about… maybe, the rise will be higher next year!

3.     Don’t Quit, Voice Out! Some people are more assertive than others, and this is where open and honest communications come in. With much determination, diplomacy, and tact, take your issues up with whoever/whatever is bothering you or making you unhappy. If you feel that your boss is micro-managing you, yet you love your job, and you want to change things, then talk to your boss! Believe, this has helped me a lot in the last three years I’ve worked with my boss. I got myself used to saying things like, “May I say something, please? I think…” or, “Please hear me out…” These words are very powerful, they make your boss step back a bit and then look at things from a different perspective.

4.     Quit. So this is the end. If you are not capable of doing the three items above and your job is draining the life and happiness out of you, then, by all means, “let it go, let it go!” Aside from making yourself miserable, you are, most probably, also radiating your negativity to the rest of the workplace, and this is not a good thing. Just quit altogether and look for a job that will truly make you happy.