1. Money is the only reason you do it
You might think your job is something that just earns you a nice salary. It should be separated from the things you enjoy. You can do what you love in your free time. But how much free time do you have after your work day is over? Can you live only during the weekend? Money is a low incentive and it won’t inspire you to grow as a person. If this is the only reason you do your job then it is best to quit right now and start thinking about what ignites you.
2. You are selling your skills for less than their worth
It’s not even a secret that you work from 9-5 to make someone else rich. The better you are at something, the more you get headhunted. Headhunters are smart, they know the value of your rare skills and talent. Think like them and make the most of what you have.
3. You are not pursuing your real passion
Few years ago, I had a boss who gave me great guidance when he dismissed me, ‘You have many other passions. Follow them.’ It hurt at first, I liked my job, my colleagues and the company. I cried a little, I felt lost and not needed. But then I realized he was right. We suffer and we don’t do our job well when we put our energy into something that doesn’t inspire us. You can’t ignore passion.
4. You are a replaceable employee
The bigger the company you work for, the less valued you are as a person. Tools, clothes and furniture are replaceable. Humans aren’t. Work for someone you admire and from whom you can learn. Leave the manager who uses you as a tool.
5. You are good at what you do
‘Good is the biggest enemy of great’ – a flipped version of the famous Voltaire quote. You will never become a great professional if you settle for average. Comfort is a creativity killer. Keeping up the good work has no value if you don’t learn anything new from it. Be great, try doing something you know nothing about and see if you will sink or swim. Either way, it will be a useful lesson.
6. You have to submit a 2-week vacation notice when you want to live your life
Your office job forces you to always ask for permission when you want to travel. You have to plan your life, there is no room for serendipity in it. It doesn’t matter if you are spontaneous or not. Your personality has to fit the square, even if it’s triangular or in the shape of a star. You will have to force yourself to get inside the mold.
7. Your job gives you comfort, not happiness
Happiness is subjective and hard to define. It is often mistaken for comfort. But when you are happy you are excited and when you’re comfortable you are calm. Happiness and comfort are as different as love and reason.
9. Your job title doesn’t define you
If you answer the ‘what do you do for a living’ question with, ‘Erm… I just work in an office… checking emails…’ then you must quit. You spend most of your day at work and if you find that boring then you are sacrificing a lot. Find a job title that makes you want to tattoo it next to your heart.
10. You are not enjoying your time, you are just waiting for it to pass
Time is a resource that is more valuable than money. Don’t waste it while shuffling paper. Do something meaningful with it. It’s an agony to sit all day and wait for most of your life to pass.
11. You won’t start living your life when you retire
Stop chanting the common mantra, ‘I will work and make money now and live my life when I retire.’ Putting your life on hold is a horrible idea. Yes, you will have plenty of free time when you retire. But arthritis, memory loss, macular degeneration and high blood pressure aren’t the best company to spend it with.
12. You don’t give anything valuable to the world
Wake up, brush your teeth, take a shower, drink coffee, go to the toilet (feel free to reorder these activities if you must), and then ask yourself, ‘What can I give to the world today?’ Giving is what makes us rich, not money. Your job should solve problems rather than create them. So something meaningful with it.
Featured photo: public domain by Joshua Earle