The average American worker will spend about 90,000 hours at work throughout their lifetime, according to estimates published by Psychology Today. It’s been a long time! And since our professions take up a significant amount of our time and can significantly affect our quality of life, the majority of us strive to pick employment we are passionate about. But what should we do if we find that we don’t enjoy our job despite our best attempts to obtain meaningful work? Should we keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best?
Here are a few things I did throughout my period of career turmoil that I hope can help you on your journey as well if you can relate to my experience and are struggling with these kinds of questions:
1. Be sensitive to your feelings
I believed that my sadness when I started working as a counselor was just the usual growing pains that frequently accompany adjusting to a demanding new job. Once I have more experience, I’m sure I’ll feel more assured, and like my work more, I reasoned.
I also would like my job more if I could concentrate on a specific clientele or work in a particular clinic. However, despite gaining knowledge and practicing in various environments, my unease lingered until, at last, I began to take those nagging feelings seriously. I was open and honest with God about my struggles. I wasn’t sure what to do with my emotions other than to acknowledge them, but it turns out that was one of the best things I could have done since it was during my open discussions with God that He brought clarity and guidance.
I urge you to pay attention to your sentiments, whether your job only annoys you or makes you feel downright miserable. Do not underestimate them. If anything isn’t suitable, don’t act as if everything is fine. Ignoring our emotions makes us frustrated and can prevent us from moving forward with our goals.
Instead, express your emotions honestly and think about talking to a friend, member of your family, or mentor you can trust. Above all, describe your feelings to God. Your Creator is the best person to guide you in understanding the significance of your sentiments and what to do with them because He embraces them and enjoys hearing from you.
2. Discover the reasons why you dislike your job.
What specifically about this job makes me unhappy? When thinking about how you feel about your work, it is an excellent question.
I gradually concluded that, even though I was skilled at my job and cared about the people I worked with, there were substantial components of my employment that were not a good fit for my personality and abilities when I thought about my unhappiness. I lost a lot of my excitement and vitality because of the nature of the work—treating diseases connected to mood and trauma, making diagnoses of mental illnesses, and attending required continuing education.
Remember that being unhappy at your job doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the wrong career for you. While it came out that I didn’t enjoy my counseling job because it wasn’t a great fit for who I am as a person, I still didn’t love it.
Your feelings may result from burnout, and you may find that your excitement for your profession returns after some downtime (and perhaps some fine-tuning of your boundaries). Alternatively, your emotions may be caused more by the people you deal with than by the actual work.
In any event, try to identify the specific aspects of your job that you dislike, and don’t worry if it takes you weeks, months, or even longer to accomplish so. Keep looking, admitting, and trusting that God will provide clarity.
3. Don’t Give Up
Have you ever felt it doesn’t matter if you enjoy your job? What counts is that I’m serving God and doing good things. This is a conviction I’ve struggled with throughout my journey, and it appears to be widespread in our contemporary Christian culture.
The good news is that serving God and being joyful is not incompatible. Yes, God calls us to do good works (Ephesians 2:10), and our individual callings are likely to provide difficulties and costs. However, it’s also true that God is a happy God (Galatians 5:22; Hebrews 1:9). I’m persuaded that Jesus wants us to enjoy our lives, which includes our job, because He claimed that He came to provide energy to the fullest (John 10:10).
I urge you to decide that you won’t accept anything less if, after honestly examining your feelings, you conclude that you don’t like your job because it isn’t a suitable fit for you.
Even if quitting your work may seem unattainable, remember that with God, anything is possible, even finding a job, profession, or vocation that you genuinely enjoy. This is especially true if your employer provides the money you need to pay for food, clothing, and housing.
