why your job isn't right for you

Remember when you had the perfect job?

It was the night before you started any job. :)

Because then you went to that job on the first actual day and realized, "This isn't all *exactly* what I thought it would be." It was likely close enough that you stuck it out for a while... until you unearthed more things that weren't what you thought, or what someone promised, or how you expected co-workers to treat you, or what a person of your talents or season of life "deserved."

Apparently, your job wasn't "right" for you.

So... you started to strive for a new job.

Maybe not by tangibly looking for one, but by mentally and emotionally pacing around. You'd show up to clock in and clock out, but you couldn't stand the thought of being where you were, doing what you were doing, because "they" weren't like "you."

Some people spend their whole lives feeling this way. Others quit and bounce around after a few months, looking for a new job that will finally be the golden experience.

Let's be clear - some workplaces are toxic. The worldview, language or habits of the people you spend a chunk of your week with can become black mold that erodes your soul.

Let's be equally clear, though - many workplaces aren't toxic. They're simply full of flawed people (like you) who are having an imperfect work experience (like you), even if they look like they're doing better than you.

Full disclosure? I've had a work funk (even if only for a brief moment) in every job I've ever been in, including my current one (which, for the record, is an amazing job). It's in our nature to want life/work to be "better" than it is... and life/work doesn't always feel "better."

But that doesn't mean you and I should stop striving.

It means that you and I can rediscover the lost art of THRIVING.

When it comes to your job (and to quote a famous sci-fi show), "it's bigger on the inside." Just as there is value in thinking outside of the box, there is value in thinking inside of the box... making the most of working your job versus expecting it to always work for you.

When was the last time you looked around at your situation and said, "If I'm here, what does it mean for me to fully be here?"

When you keep looking for something else around the corner, you miss out on what's already in front of you (and WHO is already in front of you.)

For me, the secret to occupational health is found in Ephesians 6:7

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people."

What that means is that you might be right where you are for a deeper purpose than your job or your feelings about it. It's the reason we watch "It's A Wonderful Life" every Christmas... because George Bailey is the "richest man" in town. It's the reason you slow down to give a fellow co-worker a few moments of your time, because you recognize that even when there is tension or awkwardness that you are both human beings created for more than the tension and awkwardness. It's why when you're out of work you know something needs to change - not just because of the money you aren't earning, but because of the valley you're sinking into personally.

Work is a gift. Unwrap it. Thrive in it. I'm saying that as someone who even recently needed to remind myself of this. You might need to get practical, like getting motivated to start your work day through some personal quiet time in the morning or a killer workout to energize your day.

Or you might simply enjoy the rush of being faithful each day, giving your full effort, knowing that you can't do it all... but can do something, and more than something.

That's another for my top ten list.

4. I don't regret choosing to being optimistically faithful to whatever and whomever was in front of me, even if I ever felt pessimistic about it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, hacks or funk. Email me anytime.