Page 21 - Talane Miedaner - Coach Yourself to a New Career_ 7 Steps to Reinventing Your Professional Life (2010)

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f you aren’t happy in your current job, you
may be letting things slip a bit whether you
are aware of it or not. The temptation to do
Ithis is perfectly understandable and natu-
ral. You may not even realize how much you’ve let slide. Perhaps
you are less than ecstatic when you arrive at the office or are even
downright cranky. Maybe you are showing up late on occasion, are
calling in sick more often, or aren’t paying as much attention to
your wardrobe or appearance. You may be letting paperwork pile
up or allowing your e-mail in-box to become clogged with mes-
sages. You may not be returning phone calls as promptly as you
know you should. This is all pretty normal. It is hard to do our best
when we aren’t doing work that we enjoy. In a way, you are sub-
tly or—in some cases—not so subtly sabotaging your career. You
just can’t be bothered, and it is probably
starting to show. This situation can have
a downward spiraling effect, not just on It’s no good running
your career but on your personal life as a pig farm badly for
well. If you come home exhausted and thirty years while
grouchy, your partner and friends may saying, “Really I was
have a hard time cheering you up. They meant to be a ballet
may eventually tire of your complaints dancer.” By that time,
and end the relationship or distance pigs will be your style.
themselves from you when you need
their support the most. If you continue —QUENTIN CRISP
to do work and do it badly, then you end
up either getting stuck in the same job
or getting fired. Now, being fired may be exactly what you wanted
at some level, but it may not be the best way of finding the work
you love.
If you are single, you may not be too worried about getting the
pink slip, but if you are supporting a family, being in this situation
could present a serious financial problem. Best to avoid getting
fired, as it is always easier to attract a new career when you already
have one, even if it isn’t a job you want to keep. A job is often bet-
ter than no job. Prospective employers can’t help but wonder why