I saw this article “10 clear signs you should quit your job”. It’s structured in the usual Top 10 list format. But the content focused a lot of negativity. I thought, wouldn’t it be more constructive and forward looking if I could switch the article around and provide counter points to each point the article was making. So here’s the first 5. The next 5 will come in the following post.
1) You feel like your job is pointless
Point: Whether you’ve entered a spiral of negativity, or your tasks are truly of a mundane nature, you can’t seem to see the big picture, or how your tasks make an impact to the company.
Counter Point: How can I discover and take on new and interesting tasks that are not mundane? How can I increase my own awareness of how multiple small tasks eventually add up to the big picture? How can I encourage collaboration so that the right people are doing the right tasks with increased effectiveness?
2) You lack passion
Point: Every task you do is not done to your best ability as you normally would, because you can’t seem to muster the interest and passion to do so.
Counter Point: If there is one thing that I can control, it’s my own attitudes and behaviours. And those attitudes and behaviours are controlled by my own feelings and thinking, ultimately my own belief system and core values. The challenge, then, is how to find passion and joy in whatever task it may be.
3) You can’t get to the end of your to-do list
Point: And this is simply because your motivation and your will to do so has been sucked out of you.
Counter Point: This is an excuse. Motivation and will power is not “sucked out” of a person; rather, the person slowly “leaks”. I need to be conscious of such small leaks and plug them with positive assertations, checking my own beliefs and values to ensure a better outcome.
4) Your responsibilities are expanding, but not your pay
Point: Even if you are motivated enough to take on more for experience’s sake, you somehow feel unappreciated, and almost like you’re settling for less. Yes, your responsibilities have increased, which means the management’s trust in you has too. But somehow, this has been conveniently overlooked in your increment.
Counter Point: For this, it really depends how much percentage of importance I place on the remuneration package. For people who rate it in very high percentage (perhaps 90%), then yes it’s time to quit. Of course, before quitting, fair chance should be given to the current employer to ensure all possible options are explored. But if the percentage is more like 50%, then the question is: what happened to the balance 50% of intrinsic reward? And how much of that intrinsic reward is coming from an external source versus from within myself? If I am relying too much on external reward, then I’ve place too much of my life choices in another person’s hands, thereby relinquishing control of my own life!
5) You don’t have time to yourself
Point: You scoff at the idea of workaholics, but at the same time, you’re seething on the inside because you seem to be turning into one against your will. You find that even when you’re at home, you can’t relax because there are still things that need to be urgently settled.
Counter Point: Time Management and Prioritization. And if there’s one thing I discovered, it’s this: We can’t be everything to everyone all of the time. We have to choose wisely to determine where we should invest our time. Different stages in life require different kinds of balance among commitments towards self, family, work, society, and spirituality.
