Stop doing what you hate.

We sometimes must do things which are not so enjoyable. Even in, say, your dream job where you find yourself not only satisfied, motivated and happy but also like what you are doing and that something is something that is ultimately useful, there are still elements you find not so wonderful, but they need to be done… admin? Paperwork? Team meetings? I don’t know but you will fill in the gaps. These, sometimes unavoidable, elements to an otherwise wonderful occupation we see as a necessary evil and so this is not the same as being in a job you hate, and you should not do what you hate… sounds like common sense and yet typically surveys of job happiness are often suggesting 60% of people doing a job they do not want to do.

Really consider this question: on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 signifying hate and 10 indicating love where are you right now? If your score is 5 or below, why are you doing it? (I must as I am the only wage earner; it pays too well, I can’t find another job for which I am: young enough/old enough, qualified enough, I can’t find another job).

I don’t think it is always easy to make such a change and the process of applying can be demoralising, but the effort is worth it, to swap doing something you hate for something you do not hate or preferably love. If not love, then at least move further along the 1 to 10 scale. What holds you back? Qualifications- which qualifications are too long/difficult for you to continue doing what you hate? It is difficult to get an interview? Employers are often bombarded with resumes, have preferred internal candidates and other criteria including ageism, sexism, and racism (even though company policy clearly forbids all these isms) and this of course gives rise to fear of rejection. Do it anyway. Jordan Petersen in Beyond Order tells us to work on a ratio of 50:1 expect no more than one interview for 50 applications, it may well help with the inevitable downheartedness that accompanies such rejection. And by the way do all you can to not take it personally, they do not know you and in some cases, they may not even really consider or pay any attention to you, so just move on- 50 applications per interview. It is demoralising, if we let it be so, it is not so demoralising if it is what we expect.

Your life is too short to do what you hate, and it should change, it needs to change, it is psychologically and quite possibly physically damaging and you, the world, your family deserve better…

References

Petersen J B (2021) Beyond Order 12 more rules for life. Random House