We’ve all been stuck in bad relationships. We’ve all been stuck in bad relationships that last longer than they should have. Inevitably, we snap out of it, bail, and then kick ourselves for not doing it earlier. It’s almost like a rite of passage in life to go through the following:
- Get in bad relationship.
- Deal with bad relationship.
- Get out of bad relationship.
- Kick self for not doing it earlier.
- Repeat (optional).
A few of us go through this five-step process one too many times.
Yet somehow we never really go through this process in the professional world. We love to play the long game on sticking with a career we know isn’t right for us. Imagine sticking with the wrong person for you entire existence. Sounds awful, right?
A crappy career is no different than a crappy relationship. Read on, homeslice.
Denial Is a B*tch
A big reason you’re stuck in a bad career is denial. It becomes a master skill to highlight all the good things about something instead of focusing on the bad. We suddenly become experts on cherry picking the supposedly great things we have in an obviously crappy situation.
Sound like a relationship gone wrong? We love to focus on the good and conveniently forget the bad. Even if the bad outweighs the good by 10 to 1, well hey…we have 1. And you better believe we’ll hone in on it.
Scared of Uncertainty
The fear of the unknown.
Also known as certain death. What we can’t control or what we can’t foresee – we might as well call it a day and check out. Great attitude, said no one ever.
Because we are so ingrained with our daily ritual of going to a shitty job we hate, there’s just no other option. Or so we tell ourselves.
The reality is we’re just scared to try something different or new simply because it may not work out in our favor, and we need a plan B, C, and D before making a move.
Mentally Draining
When you’re not in the right “fit”, so to speak, it’s draining. You spend so much of your mental energy dealing with the bullshit, the bitterness, the anger, the guessing, and the stress, that it makes it super difficult to enjoy life outside it.
Who needs that crap? You realize that you can live your life without having to deal with any of that in a career or a relationship? Does that blow your mind? I promise, it’s in your cards if you want it.
Wasting Time
The biggest regret people have in life is generally wasting time. Hindsight is 20/20, and we’re all guilty of replaying the past in our heads. We kick ourselves for wasting time in a situation or on a person that frankly didn’t deserve it. We love to do it anyway. You might call yourself the Pope because you love to forgive. After the 8th time though, it might be time to rethink.
The longer you waste your time sitting in something that isn’t right for you, the longer you’re preventing yourself from finding what’s right.
Most of us are capable of walking away from a bad relationship. Why can’t we do the same with a bad career?