I was lucky enough to come across an article in the July issue of Elle magazine. Typically I don’t read glossy magazines. But given that the reading material that comes through Thailand is rather limited, it is fun to take a look at what is happening with ‘modern society’. Boy was I glad that I did. I hadn’t even realized there was a name for it. But I had already made a choice for Overcoming Toxic Career Syndrome.
Out Shouts the Headline:
IS YOUR CAREER TOXIC?
I read on, shocked, and asked myself, “Wow, is it Really That Bad out there?”
My answer was found right next to the subtitle. Going by the statistic that their test case reported,
“48% are dissatisfied with their current career”
The next noteworthy bit was a term I had yet to hear about was that there was actually a medical sounding word about it: Toxic Career Syndrome. Since aligning with your passion is such this is a huge interest in my field of consulting, I read on…
Then I had a thought: What if I put this information out there for people who are on their journey of finding Career Alignment? There were some good points made in the article, and I’ll do my best to make them relevant to you here.
What is Toxic Career Syndrome?
Well, naturally, I Googled it and it is not there. (Toxic-shock syndrome WAS, but we won’t go in to that!) Going by what the article says, it is more or less a combination of
1. Realizing you hate your job and it is going nowhere (and)
2. Coping with the emotional let down that after X amount of jobs you still aren’t finding what you’re looking for.
I liked this phrase, especially:
“The job in practice is nothing like its theory.”
Obviously, this happens to all of us, and since we don’t want to become one of the Haters that sits around bitching at the water cooler about how Their Boss has Ruined Their Life, we have some questions to ask ourselves and some things to think about:
1. Figure Out If You Ever Really Wanted This Career
Most of us went off to college young and were forced / encouraged to make a choice of a career path. So, maybe we chose one that we liked “in Theory” or that someone else said would be good for us. But how many of us have actually questioned much since then?
The article suggests that we should:
“Question whether we actually wanted to be the lawyer/ executive/ teacher/ doctor we became or if we just went down the path of least resistance?”
Maybe you have found yourself looking for more, and you want to now…
2. Do Something Different
This might require a career change, or we might need to develop new skills. Going back to school is an option. I decided to do this about five years ago when I realized I wanted to develop my business skills. Honestly, I was scared shitless!! I wasn’t sure how I could afford it, or get through the exams, or even what I would do afterward!
Getting an MBA was a really terrifying leap of faith, but once I started taking the classes, I realized the others felt the same way as me. But the difference was, we were on our way to something new, instead of just thinking about it.
“A lot of us feel we would be letting ourselves or our parents down if we took the road less traveled.”
What I’m wondering, though, is wouldn’t we be letting ourselves down if we didn’t take that road?
Maybe instead, you could be…
3. Plot Your Escape
“In my brief legal career, [out] of 100 lawyers… 20 percent of them said they wouldn’t change a thing. The rest of them said they were marking time, developing Plan B, or otherwise plotting their escape.”
Having security while you make transitions in your life can be very important. I would recommend you develop your new skills while you have some stability. This way, you can transition easily over to the New You, and feel less stress along the way. By just thinking and planning what you want next, you will gain more energy and clarity to start moving towards your goals.
4. Move Towards Your New Goal Now
You don’t have to drop everything and do something dramatic. You Can, however, do something While you are doing your current job or career. When I went to school, I was working full-time and then part-time. When I moved my business online, I kept my ‘on-ground’ clients. While I’ve been developing my online business, I’m teaching. And, as I’m doing all of this, I am getting my Dive Master, and learning how to lead climb.
These are all things that I love to do anyway, so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. In fact, it is exciting!! It gives me More Options to do the things that I love.
Overcoming Toxic Career Syndrome
One thing I’m learning is that Maybe there isn’t One Right Answer. Maybe we are just meant to explore things and enjoy them. Maybe the whole Toxic Career Syndrome could be overcome with the idea that all you really need to do is find something you’re excited about, and move towards it every day!
Choose something that excites you and makes your belly flip!
It should stir up your excitement and give you something to look forward to.
Go for something that feels Big, or Just Out of Reach!
What step can you take today to ensure your Career Alignment tomorrow?
Looking for a Longer Term Solution? Get inspired to start your own business and say BYE BYE to Bad Bosses Forever!
