How to Find Happiness in Your Career
Hating Your Job: A Case Study
Over 50% of working Americans are unhappy in their current career. In a joint study conducted by the Lumina Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network, and Gallup, it was discovered that one commonality among all races, ethnicities, education, and income levels was wanting to have a sense of purpose in their career.
It’s likely that you yourself feel dissatisfied and jaded in your work environment, especially with the current economic downturn. Or you might not realize that your low-energy levels and disinterest in other aspects of your life could be stemming from your job. One way to evaluate your current level of job satisfaction is by taking our Career Success Indicator (CSi50) quiz. If you haven’t before, use the next two minutes to take the quiz, then meet us back here.
You’re back! If your score was between 0 and 20, the rest of this blog is directed towards you. As you will have read once completing the CSi50, scoring low means you’re most likely in a career that is not aligning with your core needs. You dread going to work each day, which in turn affects the energy you have outside of work.
You’re not alone. We’ve encountered many, many people over the years who have felt stuck and unhappy in their jobs. The good news is, you don’t have to stay in that negative place. Here’s a real-life example from one of our past clients:
Annette (name has been changed) is in her fifties and has been working as a tax accountant for two decades. However, when we met her she was growing increasingly unhappy with her workload, as well as the drudgery and monotony of her job. Had we given her the CSi50, she would have scored below 20.
In coaching her, she discovered that she wanted to be building something more tangible in her work, as well as connect emotionally with others. She had been fulfilling these needs through other hobbies, but once she put a name to her core needs, she realized what she could do to fix them. Instead of trudging through her career or quitting her job, she reframed it. She could bring all of these core needs to her existing job. In completing someone’s tax returns, she was building something tangible to give to her clients. When her clients came in to meet with her, she could ask about their lives, making personal connections. Annette was able to change her CSi50 score from below 20 to above 40, all by realizing her needs and molding her work to fit it.
This solution will not be for everyone, but we hope in reading this story you will find hope in your own life. If Annette’s story resonated with you, know that it’s never too late to make your career work for you. If you need guidance on how to begin transforming your career, buy our book, Don’t Dread Monday. It outlines the next steps on how to find your core needs and apply them to your life and career. This practical advice will help you advance professionally and personally—we guarantee it. As always, we’re here to help you succeed.