By Ginny Morris

Forcing yourself daily to get up and go to work can take a toll on your overall health and well-being. You should never go to a job that you hate. It will make you feel helpless and abused. I used to have a job like that. I hated it so much that every morning I would wake up and try to find good reasons for quitting my job. Finding reasons was not hard to do.

The first reason that always popped into my mind was happiness. Was I happy during the day at work?  Did I look forward to daily interactions with my supervisors? Did I look forward to starting the day all over again tomorrow? The answers to those questions were always "no."  I wondered if anyone ever really liked their job. I asked a friend and she told me she was passionate about what she was doing and looked forward, even to working overtime. She suggested a really good idea to me--to make a list of reasons of why I should quit my job. Creating this list it helped me realize that I was not helpless after all.  I just had to take control and make a change in my life.

By making a list of good reasons for quitting my job I was able to also find courage to actually go to my boss and quit.  Here is what my list looked like. You can make your own list and adjust it, according to your needs.

  1. Happiness. What makes me happy? What job do I see myself in that makes me happy? What job will I look forward to going to every morning?
  2. Set goals. Begin looking into your field of interest. Find out more about it. Check out the kinds of credential needed to get into that line of work. Look into schools or vocational programs that offer training.
  3. Buy a planner. Every week or month, set goal dates. For example, if you want to become a bookkeeper, look up local training classes, book to attend that date, and jot that date down in your planner. Visualization help you get a better sense of direction, reinforces your motivation, and gives you a sense of control.
  4. Quit your job. By quitting your job, you can work on your goals full time. When you quit, you will become more determined in achieving your goals (i.e. attending college full time instead of part time).
  5. Look for internships or volunteer programs in the area of your interest. Take this time to explore your career options. Internships and volunteering lets you do just that without having to promise a long commitment. This will also help you build your skills and make you more marketable.

Eventually you will reach your goal and land that dream job! Just stay motivated!