THE TOP 10 QUESTIONS EVERY PROFESSIONAL SHOULD ASK THEMSELVES ABOUT THEIR JOB

Why are you staying at your current job?

Do you know? Really know? I mean beyond the initial surface, reactionary answer?

Most people don't know. They don't question it, and they stay because it's the path of least resistance.

They don't want to ask themselves the questions because they're afraid of where the answers might lead them.

Let's open Pandora's box to figure out why you're staying and if you should continue to stay.

We're about to cross over into a new year and a new decade. It's the perfect time to ask some deep questions about your career and what you TRULY want to be doing.

WHY MOST PEOPLE ARE STAYING

I talk to people on a daily basis about why they have stayed at their current job.

The answers I hear range from:

• "I need the money/benefits/insurance"
• "My job/schedule is predictable"
• "I think I could be promoted/recognized" (when I ask what soon is they say 6 months, 2 years, etc. The path is usually very fuzzy)
• "I don't want to leave my team or my boss. I am loyal."
• "I haven't found anything better out there" (even though they've barely looked)
• "I won't make as much if I leave" (their assumption)
• "I don't want to leave my upcoming 401k match, bonus, commission check, etc."(even though they could replace that money (and possibly more)

Can you relate to any or all of these reasons?

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

We spend 42%-50% of your non-sleeping time at work.

This is your life. It matters.

You can have more, if you want more.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T ASK THE QUESTIONS?

(hint: I didn't ask these and wasted 3 years of my professional life)

For me, I didn't ask the questions.

I kept going in my role even though I was miserable, because it felt easier than finding a new job and starting over.

I stayed because I had loyalty to my team. I felt like I would be abandoning them, leaving them with someone who didn't have their back.

I didn't want to risk going to a new company where I didn't like the people as much.

I stayed because, if I'm honest with you, I was worried I wouldn't be as successful. That I'd hit my personal ceiling. That I'd never go further and could possibly fall backwards at a new company when they saw the real me.

That's the honest truth.

Looking back, I don't like those reasons for staying. They were rooted in fear. I had so much more to offer and could have avoided 3 years of being miserable at work by launching into a new venture.

I hope you don't make the same mistake.

I want to help you question your own reasons for staying, and if you like them.

WHY YOU WON'T WANT TO ASK THE QUESTIONS, BUT SHOULD DO IT ANYWAY

We all default to the known, to the comfort zone, to what is familiar.

It's human nature to avoid and justify avoiding change.

As a result, we miss fulfilling our potential. We miss having the most incredible experiences in our professional and personal lives.

Notice that you might resist answering these questions, but I challenge you to answer them anyway.

THE 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

1) Why am I staying at my current company?

2) Do I like my reasons for staying?

3) Why or why not?

4) What are my current thoughts about myself in my current job? Dive into the good, the bad and the ugly here.

5) How do I want to be thinking about myself in my job and career?

6) What is the predominate feeling I have when I'm at work? Or thinking about work?

7) How do I want to feel at work?

8) Can I generate the feelings I want to have about my job and career at my current job (without my job changing)?

9) If I look ahead 10 years, what do I want to think about my career over these past 10 years? What is the picture of myself in 10 years? What have I accomplished? What am I feeling? What am I thinking about myself?

10) If I stay in my current job, will I have achieved the vision I described in #9? Why and why not?

WHAT'S NEXT?

STAY: If your answers give you a clear answer that you should stay at your current job, do it. Go all in. Look at where you can be maximizing your potential even more than you are now. Recommit.

LEAVE: If your answers lead you to explore other options, launch an initiative for yourself. Start with gaining clarity on what you really want and what career path(s) could meet those needs and wants.

If you'd like help navigating through this process, to gain clarity and uncover potential you'd never consider, please click this link to schedule a Job Search Review call with me.

I'm excited to help you figure this out!