Pay Yourself, First. Don’t Waste Time – Grab Your Chances, by Marc LeVine

“Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home… it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it.” – Chuck Palahniuk

At some point in our careers, we ask ourselves – “Am I in the right job and/or career?”?It is a healthy thing to consider every so often.?We grow. We change. The world changes around us.?It all is happening simultaneously and we are often too busy to notice. The years pass by so quickly. Only our shaving and make-up mirrors reveal the truth to us. We age. Our employments come and go. Our careers pass in and out of favor. What some once did, no one does any longer. Know any switchboard operators these days??

Switchboard operators connected calls by inserting phone plugs into jacks. They were replaced by automated systems. In 1983, Susan Glines of Maine (pictured) became the last switchboard operator for a hand-crank phone when her exchange was finally converted to digital. Seems like she didn’t see the handwriting on the wall to get out in time.?

It is not only career and job obsolescence that cause us to reassess our lives and careers.?There are many other triggers that do so, and we must thank them for telling us to “stop and smell the roses.”?Most recently, the Covid pandemic caused many people around the world to take stock of themselves, their careers, and jobs.?They had been so busy trying to keep pace with raising their families and paying their bills they had little time to think about their overall satisfaction in life.?Were they happy and content to "keep on keeping on" until they retired or worse?

COVID-19 Changed the World

In March of 2020, businesses began shutting down causing most of us to shelter in place for months on end. The Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to an abrupt and complete stop. ?Suddenly, we had much more time on our hands to reflect on our own lives to date. ?People were dying all around us and by the millions. Everyone began to realize that our time on earth is relatively short and most precious.?We needed to show greater appreciation for life, health, family and love. These were and remain the only things that really matter. Not the rat race, the relentless pursuit of more material "things" or the false belief that job titles actually mean anything in the greater scheme of things. The desire for Work/Life Balance came out of this line of thinking.

What had our jobs and careers taken from some of us that made many feel so resentful? Long hours in the office? Traffic jams? Missed Little League games? Checking work emails on vacation? These were all unwanted annoyances and personal sacrifices that plagued so many for decades and kept them away from their families far too much.? Many began to ask themselves if it was all worth it.? And most didn’t like the answers they got. ?Many soon realized that we never get back the lost time and squandered memories. ?Isn't it a pity when we are not enjoying what we are doing for a living. It makes whatever we are giving up so much more painful to bear.?

This period of personal reflection became known as the “Great Resignation.” People began leaving their careers and jobs in search of greater satisfaction. And for a couple of years, it produced a “cleansing” of people no longer interested in their current careers and jobs.?Call it a necessary “shakeout.” It was actually a great thing for unhappy people stuck in the wrong careers, and jobs.? Nothing is worse than a poor career and job match or fit.? Everyone suffers.?Businesses. Customers. Families. And those in the wrong place at the wrong time - anyone suffering in silence while doing what brings them little joy and steals part of their lives away.

Take Time to "Check-in" With Yourself

Perhaps, we don’t need an earthquake beneath our feet to be reminded that it is healthy and normal to take some time to reflect on our lives at any given time and the changes we may need to consider to improve them. It's a worthwhile, necessary and highly recommended periodic exercise. After all, our needs and goals may change over time. ?

Consider the following changing circumstances. Later in life, does a traveling salesman still want to travel so much?” During a pandemic, does a nurse want to work 60+ hours per week exposing herself/himself to a potentially deadly pathogen???With a child on the way, does someone with three jobs still want to continue working nearly around the clock??These are all timely and valid considerations. They should be given their due.?Their impact on people's lives may be disastrous and staying the course may be unsustainable.?These emerging thoughts may signal the need for change on the road to happiness.

Take the time to reflect on your life and career as soon as you can. ?Don’t shortchange yourself by carrying on - as is - and being miserable.?Being miserable shows itself up and ruins other people’s lives as well. We all owe it to ourselves and to others to seek out validation or renewal so we can find ourselves in the right place, being who we are, doing what we enjoy and influencing others to also be the best they can be, while still loving the joyful and fulfilling lives they are leading.

Are you a?CONTROLS ENGINEER?or?PROJECT MANAGER?looking for a new job? Visit:?www.thermosystems.com/careers

_

The Author

Listen to Marc's latest interview on “Failing for You” with Jordan Yates

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.

Marc's prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ

.?