Are you (or someone you know) staying in work you hate out of fear of losing your lifestyleyour benefitsyour income level?

….or not being able to pay for your mortgage, your student loan, or retirement if you change careers?

 If so, listen up! this article is for you.
 (or for people you know who are struggling with this. Feel free to pass it along.)

After interviewing, over the past 5 years, hundreds of people unhappy in their careers, this is the #1 concern I’m hearing from people who are considering changing careers.

  • “I hate my job but I’ve such a good salary and benefits; I’m afraid I’ll lose that if I change careers.”
  • “The life in [location] is so expensive; I don’t know how I’ll pay my mortgage if I leave my job.”
  • “I’m concerned I’ll have to start all over again, at a lower level.”

 

I get it.The fear of losing the financial security can be intense and I’m not discounting it.

But, let me ask you this,Have you ever thought about what staying in work you hate day after day, and year after year is COSTING you?

Well, let me tell you what I’ve heard hundreds of people unhappy in their work tell me over and over.

It is costing:

  • your happiness and fulfillment. You spend more time at work than in any other areas of your life. Think about hating 5 out of 7 days of each week for the rest of your life. Is that truly living?
  • your self-esteem and your confidence. Every single person I talk to tells me how they are doubting themselves and their abilities. This is what spending years in work that is not a fit does to you. It erodes your confidence. The more you stay, the more you doubt yourself and the harder it is to find the confidence to get out and explore other jobs or careers. You get stuck in a vicious cycle.
  • your emotional and mental health. Forcing yourself to stay in work you hate is harmful to your mental health and can lead to depression. I’ve heard people telling me they often feel depressed.
  • your physical health. Staying in work you hate is draining for your body. If you consistently feel drained after work, it is taking a toll on your health. What about the sleepless nights and all the physical symptoms and illnesses, mild or severe, you start developing as a result?
  • your romantic relationship. Your unhappiness and stress do not stay at work. Whether you want it or not, you bring them back home in your relationship. How does you complaining day after day about your work affect your relationship?
  • your friendships and your social life. I’ve heard many people telling me how it impacts negatively their social life. They may be too drained to meet their friends or pursue their hobbies. Or they bring their negativity in their friendships.
  • the happiness and development of your children. Imagine the impact (short and long term) on your children, of unhappy, stressed, emotionally and physically unavailable parents? What are you modeling to them? If you are unhappy in your work, how can they know that it is possible to be happy at work.
  • and more!

Here is the TRUTH:

Staying in work you hate is costing you not only your happiness, but also the happiness of your loved ones

  • How worth it it is to have all the money you want IF your life, your health, your relationships are destroyed or eroded as a result?
  • How worth it it is to have all the money you want to retire IF you end your life with excruciating regrets?

 *** In her book “The Top Five Regrets of The Dying,” Bronnie Ware, a palliative nurse shares the most common regrets of the dying she heard in her practice.
The #1 is: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” “When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. “

Here is another TRUTH:

In the long run, it is COSTING YOU WAY MORE to stay in work you hate than to explore something else.

IT IS WASTING YOUR LIFE AND YOUR HEALTH. 

I get it that it can be scary to consider changing careers.

But it does not necessarily have to be.

It is why I created a step-by-step process to make it as progressive and supportive as possible, so that you don’t feel like you have to jump off a cliff and risk everything.

  1. First, we clarify your unique talents, drivers of satisfaction, and passions so that you can build clarity, confidence, and a strong inner compass for your next steps.
  2. Then, ​we identify the career that is uniquely tailored to you, your talents, and purpose, so that you have a clear direction and you never again doubt the direction of your career.​
  3. Finally, we ​create a personalized action plan so that you know exactly what steps to take to create the career you love. I support you in designing an action plan that is progressive and respects your own pace.

You don’t necessarily have to leave your job or career right away. Actually, most of my clients don’t and take a step-by-step approach that feels right for them.

But once you are clear and confident about what you ultimately want, it is way easier to consider the different paths and progressive steps to get where you want to be without sacrificing your sanity and your financial foundations.

From that place of clarity and confidence, you will see that you have WAY more options than you think, and that you don’t have to jump off the cliff.

This is what I focus on in the program that I open twice a year.

>>> The doors of my next program officially open next week, on October 1. 

Stay tuned for more details!

To a life NOT wasted!

Isabelle

P.S.
It breaks my heart to see so many people wasting their lives in work they hate.