It’s not uncommon to start your career with enthusiasm and passion, only to find yourself gradually falling out of love with it over time. When the spark that once fueled your work begins to flicker, it can be disheartening and leave you feeling stuck. Honestly, one of the worst feelings to go through is having to deal with that feeling.
You spend years in school, went to college, chose a career you thought you’d love,and you had big expectation, thoughts and feelings that you were going to make it and make it big, but only them for all of this to happen- being in a state where you’re bored with work, would rather take the day off, and of course counting down the days til the weekend. So, what can you do to get that spark back? Well, here’s what you need to know!
Start By Doing Some Self-Reflection
The first step in addressing any problem is understanding its root cause. Take some time for introspection and consider why you’re falling out of love with your career. Is it the work itself, the company culture, lack of growth opportunities, or a combination of factors?
When you got this job, did you expect to do this type of work? Is the industry growing toxic? Did you ever look into taking Strong Interest Inventory Assessments– something a lot of people do to figure out what they want.
Identifying the source of your dissatisfaction will help you determine the most appropriate course of action.
Consider Giving Yourself Some Challenges and Goals
These don’t always need to involve your work since your career is only a small part of what makes up who you are. Besides, sometimes, complacency can lead to a loss of interest in your career. To reignite your passion, set new goals and challenges for yourself. Just challenge yourself to something that you’d like to try, and make goals for yourself. This is to get you thinking about something else while you’re at work. But of course, creating goals and challenges for work could be beneficial too if you’re able to do that (sometimes management gets in the way).
Advocate for Change
Sometimes, the management or someone in general gets in the way of you blossoming into the professional you want to become. There’s this roadblock, and if there’s this roadblock that’s going to slow you down to the point where you lose interest and want to give up. So, if you can advocate for change, maybe this is in the industry, or maybe it’s even your employer. If things still don’t change, then it might be best to leave and move on to something far better.
Consider a Transition Plan
Sometimes, you have to leave because you can’t level up and changes aren’t being made, and leaving doesn’t mean you’re giving up; you’re moving on to something better. So, it may be time to consider a transition plan. This might involve changing roles within your current organization, seeking new job opportunities, or even exploring entrepreneurship. In the end, it’s up to you, but this might very well be what shakes up your career to get you falling back in love with it again.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.