Danielle Dacunha-Howarth on Caring about and for your career

January – The month of change

January is, of course, the month of New Year’s resolutions, making new commitments to yourself, and choosing to act on things that perhaps didn’t serve you in the past twelve months. January is also the month where we see the highest rate of job switching, with LinkedIn data showing that 55% of professionals are more likely to start a new role in January.

Our careers are often a winding path, where a series of choices, opportunities, life events, and even setbacks lead us to this day. A day where we find ourselves in a career, job, team, or company questioning … is this where I should be? Is this where I thought I would be at this point in my life? Am I happy doing what I’m doing? Are my strengths and skills being utilized? Can I see myself doing this for the next 5, 10, or even 20 years?

Energy in exchange for money

You see, the problem is… you spend more time at work than you do with the people you love the most. You exchange your energy, creativity, effort, and ideas for money. Money that allows you to fulfill your basic needs and your longer-term dreams and goals to come to fruition.

When you think about money being the transference of your energy, you start to think differently about things. You become more mindful of your energy, how you use it, its value, and how you’re remunerated for it.

Unhappiness in work = unhappiness in life

I cannot tell you how often I see people completely depleted by their work, not physically, but mentally. To the point where it is impacting their day-to-day life, their relationships, and their ability to do anything about it. It’s only when you start to realize that you have the power to change your situation and that you are in control of how and where you choose to place your energy in your line of work, that the air begins to lift.

In life, our careers morph and change. Sometimes it’s at the forefront, sometimes it takes a back seat, and that’s okay. But it is never okay for your work to be pulling you down.

Taking charge of your job and career is one of the biggest expressions of self-care you can take. Why? Consider everything your job touches and its impacts….

• The number of hours you work = time away from home or life
• The commute you have = additional time away from home and disruption to day-to-day activities, like picking up the kids from school
• Your remuneration = your income for basic needs, your disposable income for holidays, buying a house, hobbies, treating yourself and your family
• The people you work with = can add or subtract from your happiness at work
• The company you work for = may or may not provide benefits that support you and your family
• The manager you work for = can add or subtract from your happiness at work

It touches everything in your life.

Taking ownership

Owning your growth, owning your job and career prospects is your responsibility. It’s your responsibility to ensure that you care about the work you do, that you care for yourself enough to ensure you are happy in the work you are doing, and that you are happy with the remuneration you are receiving for the energy you put in.

The transformations I get to see in the work I do are so special. Seeing people move from ‘being in a rut’ or ‘feeling stuck’ with no way out, to a space of new opportunities, growth, and control that they didn’t think was possible is a pleasure.

It’s the switch in focus, the choosing to approach your current employment situation with care and attention, and having a cheerleader in your corner encouraging you and offering new lines of thought that sparks the shift and change.

Steps you can take right now to change your current situation:

Step 1 – Reflect.

The first thing you’ll want to do if you feel unhappy in your job is take the time to reflect. Consider asking yourself some questions to help you go a little bit deeper on this. It’s normal to have good weeks and bad weeks at work, so understanding if this feeling might blow over is important.

Why exactly aren’t you happy, and when did you realize you were unhappy?

Can you identify a turning point? Is this a passing phase, or will things get better?

Dig Deep and Reflect

Step 2 – Speak to Your Manager. T

Talking to your manager helps you take swift action towards solving the problem. Is there something you can change now to help with instant happiness? This could be something like changing your working hours or adding more variety. If you’ve completed the reflection in step one, you’ve identified what needs to change. Speaking to your manager gives you the chance to address those needs.

Step 3 – Start a Career Coaching Programme.

There are so many ways in which a career coaching programme could help you if you aren’t happy with your current position. It helps you identify your skills and your strengths, and also how those might be transferable in other areas.

Step 4 – Explore Your Options.

By the time you arrive at this step, you’ll be ready to open your eyes to all the possibilities available to you. There may be options you hadn’t considered in your existing company, whether that be in a different role or even a different department. You don’t necessarily need to leave the company you’re with to gain higher job satisfaction.

Step 5 – Talk It Out.

Talking it out helps you focus your energy in a positive way while you’re figuring it out. If you really need to get something off your chest, talk to those who are close to you. If you want to continue taking constructive action, you could even connect with ex-colleagues and ask them what they feel your strengths are and why people want to work with you.

Step 6 – Make a List of Pros and Cons.

Writing things down is a great way of organizing our thoughts. You’ve gathered a lot of information up to this point, and now you can put that to use. There are a few ways you can go about making a list of pros and cons. It could be a list focused on your role, or it could be focused more on the company you’re with. For example: what are the pros and cons of staying in your role as it is versus the pros and cons of exploring new opportunities.

Step 7 – Meditate and Journal. Deep down, you know what’s best for you. What you need now is the space to discover that. Exploring the future of your work to this length can be overwhelming. Meditation and journaling give your brain that space to think and process.

So, are you ready to take care of your career, job role, and happiness? I hope so, because life is too short to be unhappy in your work. You have the power to change any situation, especially in this area of your life.

 

By Danielle Dacunha-Howarth

Bio:

I’m Danielle Dacunha-Howarth, a career and life coach. I’ve grown up in the corporate world and my specialty is people and team development. I’m deeply passionate about helping people in their career journey. There is no more profitable investment than investing in yourself, personally and professionally, and I love being the person who can coach, support, and be the cheerleader in the corner giving people the confidence to believe in themselves and their power to change any situation.

You can reach me through email: info@visitpurplepatch.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

I hope these suggestions help! If you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. 😊