Now that I’ve opened this category discussing the need to gain and maintain a positive attitude at work, I want to clarify one thing. If you are in a work situation that is abusive and/or unhealthy I encourage you to consider making a change. As is true of our personal relationships, we flourish in our jobs when we are in healthy environments.

We need to love ourselves enough to detach ourselves from toxic people and toxic situations. I am not advocating you walk into your boss’ office tomorrow and tell him he is toxic and you are therefore quitting your job. As with anything, you need to handle this with care and integrity.

I do, however, advocate your sitting down with whomever else is directly affected by your job (your husband, significant other, possibly your kids, whomever you think is necessary) and putting together a plan. You need to put in place a plan that considers the following:

Income – how much do you need to make to survive?

Benefits – do you need health insurance, retirement planning …?

Budget Cuts – where can you cut back on your spending?

Commute – how far are you willing to drive for a new job?

Travel – are you willing to take a job that requires travel? If so, how much?

Relocation – are you at a point in your life where you can relocate?

Satisfaction – what will it take for you to be satisfied in your job?

Experience – do you have the experience required for the job you want? Can you get the experience?

These are just a few things to consider when looking to make a job change. There are other things such as, your personality (i.e. Do you like to be part of a team or would you prefer to work alone?), what is important to you in a work environment (i.e. Do you want to work outdoors or would you like to be in a high-rise office building?), what drives you (i.e. Are you motivated by a job well done or do you like recognition from your boss?), the list goes on.

The important thing is that you make a decision to make a decision. Inactivity is a decision to stay put. I have met more people who are comfortable in their misery and are willing to sacrifice a good attitude just because they don’t want to change. Don’t be one of them.

Make a decision.  Take the first step and Choose a Better LIfe.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 14th, 2007 at 10:32 am and is filed under World of Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.