Is there a right job for you? Most definitely. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to find. And, unless you create the right job yourself, what can you do? At the very least, you can learn to look for signs that a job is right for you, or not.
What you shouldn’t do is ignore your gut feeling. If you feel deep down that the job isn’t right for you, chances are it isn’t. But, if you’re not sure if your job is right for you, then these are signs you can look for to help bring clarity.
For each of these signs, try to discover why you are experiencing them, if you are. Take this opportunity to learn more about yourself so that you can replicate these positive feelings in yourself in the future, by choosing projects that contain the same components necessary for bringing out the signs in you.
6 Signs to Watch For:
1. You Are Excited to Wake Up or Too Excited to Sleep
Excitement is a sure sign. If you can’t wait to pop out of bed to get to work, you have definitely stumbled onto something good. So many people hate Monday mornings (and indeed, most mornings) because they dread going in to work.
The same is true if you are just too excited to sleep; you have to get one more thing done – just because you feel that you HAVE to. This happens to me too often – I need to sleep more.
Excitement is a basic emotion that is very hard to bring about unnaturally. If it’s there, there must be a reason.
2. You Forget to Eat
This one happens to me a lot. I’m working on something that I’m passionate about, and I find very stimulating, and I just forget to eat. It happens when I reach a state of flow, where I forget the time and enter a trance-like state.
Obviously, I would prefer that you eat, and in most cases not eating is negative. But, in terms of signs that you like what you’re doing – this is positive.
3. You Don’t Look at the Clock
If you find the day flying by without needing to look at the clock, you are entering a state of flow; you are in the moment, present, and in the zone.
Flow is the mental state in which you are fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of an activity. In essence, flow is a complete absorption in what you’re doing.
In general, you should try to enter a state of flow as often as possible. The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task. Enjoy it!
4. There Are Never Enough Hours in the Day
I don’t mean there aren’t enough hours because you simply have too much to do. I mean, there aren’t enough hours because you just want to keep working.
If it’s 5 o’clock and you are disappointed because you wanted to finish something else, and you wish there were more hours so you could, then you love what you’re doing. This is a great sign – don’t let other people tell you you’re crazy. This is what work should be.
5. You Love Talking About it With Other People
You love discussing your work with other people. It comes up naturally in conversation and you come alive when talking about it. You’re proud to be working on what you do.
6. Weekdays Turn into Weekends
If every day feels like a weekend to you, you’re in love with your job. This brings to mind a famous quote:
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in
your life.”
~ Confucius
You are now someone with an intimate understanding of what this quote actually means. I salute you because you embody what this site is all about.
What To Do If Your Job Isn’t Right For You
If you’re not experiencing enough of these signs, or none of them, then you need to consider switching jobs or changing your focus within your current job. That’s not to say you should go and quit your job right now. Not at all. However, you need to start looking into why you aren’t enjoying your job and go about fixing it.
To do that, you should understand what you need to feel fulfilled at your job. Are you doing work that matters to you? Does it align with your values, your personality, and your strengths? Does it use too many of your weaknesses (stuff you dislike or aren’t very good at)? Answering these questions might seem hard, but you need to answer them nonetheless.
While your job might not give you all the signs all the time, it should give you them often. Consider the negation of the list (below) and see how it applies. If this sounds too familiar – it’s time to take action!
6 Signs That a Job is Wrong For You
1. You Dread Going in to Work
2. You Can’t Wait For Lunch to Stop Working
3. You Constantly Check the Clock
4. It Feels Like The Day Lasts FOREVER
5. You Hate Discussing Your Work
6. You Live Only For the Weekends
What Signs Do You Feel Are Important?
What signs have you experienced? What’s missing from my list? Let’s help each other out, and make a great list for our community! Leave a comment below and let me know – I read them all!