Welcome back to Episode #52 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today is our one-year podcasting anniversary! And the topic is How to Stay Inspire in a Bad Job. The theme is reflective of what’s on my mind and also happening around here, and that is our Smart Exit Blueprint has launched again, hence all this talk around careers, professions, the work that we do and the way that we spend a majority of our time on earth.
Last chance to play here: Contest, Rules, and Prize: Our ONE-YEAR Anniversary is an exciting time for any event Today, our Daily Interaction Podcast turns one. And as you know, I am celebrating YOU, my constant listener with this contest:
Here are the qualification rules for our first ever podcast contest:
In the comments section here, just leave a comment telling me two things:
Number 1= Why do you listen to the show?
Number 2=What can I do to make it better in Year #2?
You can qualify by adding the comment below to enter the contest. I close the contest on July 25th, Wednesday noon eastern, and pick winner and announce it on Episode 53. The prize: A $30 Amazon Gift Certificate!
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How to Stay Inspired in a Bad Job Show Notes:
1.You are always in charge: The first thing is to remember that you are always in charge. This may be something you intuitively know but until you put it into practice by associating the right feelings that make it real to you, it’s of no use. And this, my listener, you need more than any other tool when you find yourself in a bad situation. This can change your spirits and your mental state instantly.
2. You always have options: No matter how bad your situation may be, you always have options. You choose to stay or to leave, you choose to stay happy or be depressed, you choose to be a victim of circumstance.
3. You need to separate the emotions from the actual situation: Your emotions can really run wild in a bad workplace and become self-destructive to your progress. You need to think of your job not so much as a bad job but as a misfit for you at this stage in your life, and I share with you how this can inspire you.
4. You need to be crystal clear about your why: You may not know the true reason why you are unhappy, why this is a bad job for you, why this is a misfit, because when you figure that out, you are inspired to take the next step.
5. You can now figure out how to find the good fit: How understanding your why and yourself can not only inspire you but also lead you toward the right place, the right fit.
6. You can say no to social events: Unless you are climbing the social ladder, then say no to spending any more time than necessary with the wrong people – learn to say no in Episode 45 – and limit your time with them to guard your own energy.
7. You should be able to tell the lies from the truths: Why a thankless job taught me how to not gossip within the company walls, and how I warn you here on being careful when you engage in gossip for multiple reasons, and how it all affects your inspiration.
What If You Can’t Get Inspired in a Bad Job
If you are still having a hard time getting inspired in your job, there are other things you can do. Quitting is not always the answer. The process is not so black and white. And it’s not even that linear. One thing doesn’t have to happen before the next thing. So if you want to fully understand how to explore your options at your job and how to thrive -not just survive – in the current job or a future position, grab these career strategies by hopping on the list below: Grab Your Free Email Course!
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{ 23 brilliant comments, Care to add another? }
Hi Farnoosh; Congratulations, you made it! Another great post. While I don’t work at a distasteful job, i plan to apply your suggestions to my home life. I share a place with my mom, my younger brother, his son, and crazy dog penny; sometimes the lack of control can be just as distracting from my goals as having to go into work every day at a job you hate. so, I will be working on the midst part of this and taking those baby steps to bring more peace into the rest of my life. thanks again and take care, max
Thank you, Max – and I really love that you are applying the advice to a completely different situation that can definitely be useful. Very smart, you gotta keep me posted on how things pan out for you, Max. All the best!
thanks farnoosh; of course, will keep you informed. wasn’t sure my response fit into the topic, but I’ve found the job i want and love just need to make more money at it and be happier in other areas of my life. and the cardiologist gave me a clean bill of health and recommended the gastric surgery. hopefully, in two weeks or so i will have a date for my surgery. and i believe losing the weight will make getting out more much easier which should also help with home life. I’m sure we all know that no matter how much we love people there comes a point when you are spending too much time together. thanks for your continued kindness, Max
Losing the weight will be so so good for you. Are you by any chance interested in what I believe to be the most effective way to lose weight? Check out this interview: Israel Torres on Juice Fasting. And I just came off my own 10 day juice fast. It was wonderful, Max!
Hi Farnoosh; I understand there are great health benefits to the green juicing, but I’ve learned a lot about myself during the process working up to the surgery; and I believe I need to do this. I have always been big on vegetables and fruits and love juices of all kinds. my problem with them is i tend to bring in too many calories from liquids. but then i’m getting off the topic of the anniversary podcast. i am looking forward to being more mobile which should help in developing my business and getting out more thus making my home life better. take care, max
You’d do yourself a huge service, Max, but I don’t want to push or preach – it’s a very personal choice … I just know this: for people who are too busy to go spend 2 hours at the gym or who are too challenged by diets etc, juice fasting is the best way to go, and just introducing juicing to your diet along. Let me know when you want to hear more about it.
Hi Farnoosh; You weren’t preaching, just trying to help a friend. I will definitely bring this up with my doctors. it may be a big help for the recovery period. And i only made this decision after a couple of years of steady daily exercise and eating a very boring diet. smile I know you care about us and always appreciate your suggestions. take care, max
Hi Farnoosh,
Before anything else, congratulations on your 1 year podcast anniversary. Even though you may not physically see the positive impact on the world around you, I can assure you that it is much greater than what you may realise.
In this podcast that very small but o so powerful word again made its appearance – ‘WHY’. A person gains so much insight into any aspect of life if the question of ‘why’ is answered. After I answered the ‘why’ in my life purpose, the dark sky of my existance started to clear. In the case of my job, althought I love working in the IT sector, bring IT and business together, my current job is not serving my needs anymore I am now looking to move to more senior position. This was only possible when I answered ‘why’ am I not feeling fulfilled in my job. Up to now I believed doubling my salary will bring back my passion in my current job, but because I’m not involved at the IT/business integration level, it will not fuel the inspiration I seek.
Again, thank you for the awesome, insightful and practical advise you make available to us through your podcasts. Your openess makes, e feel very welcome.
Hi Kobus, thank you so much. Kind words to make my whole week, thank you! And you know how I feel about doubling salaries and moving up the ladder – it still won’t fulfill that deep need and desire in us to do something meaningful and we can so do that today in our world. I really hope that you think about it and also watch this free video I did for the course. Whatever you do, don’t let indecision run your career, Kobus!
Farnoosh, honestly i don’t know the right word to use in qualifying this post, but let me just say that it’s awesome, hope that is ok.
Anyway, you’ve just said it all, i wish everyone that read this post will be able to practice it including me because reading is not enough, we must apply. Thank God for you and other people out there that has excaped from job security.
Lets Succeed Together. Wishing you a greater achievement in your 2nd year.
Hi Theodore, thank you. Very kind and I hope you are on a path to fulfilling work in your life.
One of my kids works at a “less desirable” job. She spends 8–10 hours per day doing phone surveys (political, banking, etc.). She isn’t selling anything, but gets lots of hangups, cursing, screaming, etc.
The way she deals with it is by remembering this is a means to an end. She isn’t LIVING to do the calls, she is doing the calls to live and further her dreams. She is a college student and earning money for tuition and books during the summer is crucial. It’s just the current path to reach her goals.
Right, exactly! She is a kid and still figuring things out, getting experience and paving the path to her dreams. The yelling part on the other side is unfortunate. I just don’t get it! People can just say “no thanks”…. anyway, good for her; she is learning lessons that toughen her up for the future!
Spending more time in your values is always a way to transform yourself and the job.
I like your point on factoring emotions from the situation. That helps limit both seeing through rose-colored glasses and making mountains out of mole-hills.
I learned early on that a job is ultimately what you make of it.
That said, I always try to go where I can give my best where I have my best to give … and where I’m surrounded by people that make me better than I could be on my own.
J.D., hi! Thanks for stopping by! I love that you brought that up: Values! It’s the hardest exercise I give my clients… And the right people make all the difference. No kidding!
Are you in a job right now or working for yourself?
I’m still as Microsoft, as a Principal Program Manager.
It tests me and stretches me in all directions, from personal growth to business skills to leadership to project management to emotional intelligence, and beyond.
It turns out that Microsoft is like the ultimate dojo for personal growth, and as long as I keep expanding my capabilities and I can live my values at work ( including adventure, excellence, and empowerment), it’s a good fit.
I get to work with everybody from actual rocket scientists to former astronauts to amazing musicians. And I mentor teams and leaders in productivity, time management, and personal effectiveness in extreme scenarios.
I did start a company though for my online ventures, including Getting Results the Agile Way.
Now that I did not know! Microsoft!! Nice! I interviewed with me during my tenure at Cisco …. as well as with Google. Didn’t pursue Microsoft, at the time, the position wasn’t what I was looking for but I would have loved to move out to their headquarters….. Are you in Washington then?
J.D., it’s rare and wonderful to hear a corporate position articulated the way you have done it here and it makes me hopeful again. I had very few short years at Cisco like that but overall, it was not an experience I look back on fondly. So glad you are in a good place. Thank you for sharing your story with me and the other readers here.
Headquarters is amazing.
It’s like a giant college campus. We have volley ball courts, softball fiels, soccer fields, etc. The main cluster of buildings are in walking distance of each other, but there are also shuttles for hopping across all the buildings, including into Seattle.
The buildings themselves are interesting because of what’s inside. You find everything from the latest, amazing product info, to pool tables, and fooseball tables, and pinball machines. Ping poing is popular too.
Yes, Redmond, Washington. I have a clear view of the cascade mountains from my office.
The rule I live by is to find the job you love, or love the job you’re with. Sometimes that means reshaping the job. The trick is to keep the job connected to your values, to the business values, and to the business goals. The other trick is to show your unique value in a way that speaks to people’s needs.
It’s a challenging job. I have to put a lot of moving parts together, such as industry trends, the future of the cloud story, and how to reshape businesses for success. Additionally, that means orchestrating internally to lead people towards a compelling vision. I’m basically in the business of business transformation.
The more I learn deeply about business transformation, the more I realize that business skills are some of the best skills we can use for life. It’s how we can transform and transcend.
Amen to business skills, no kidding, J.D.!!
!
The campus sounds wonderful, it describes Google almost. How wonderful! And we had a more corporate / less fun version of that at Cisco too a while ago but now everything is sterile and disgusting. So it’s really not that hard at all to leave it behind and never miss it. I think more than anything clarity about what you want is the most important of all – I know for a fact that today, I would turn down the most lucrative offer from the best company in the world because I have found my life’s work and nobody can tear me apart. It’s no longer comparing jobs for me as it is about fulfilling my personal destiny with my work. And I’ve gone from a corporate/job junkie to this, but I certainly can appreciate what corporations are doing for those who enjoy that environment. Plus, it’s great to know people like you are moving Microsoft into the future. Thank you, J.D.
> I have found my life’s work and nobody can tear me apart.
Well put.
The trick, of course, is finding the blend where we can do our life work and fund our life style, along with the basics of food, shelter, and health. I think that’s where a lot of people lose the game … they either trade their passion to fund their life, or follow their passion, and cripple their ability to afford a living.
The skill is in blending and combining “do what you would do for free” + “what would people pay you for.” The purpose + passion + profit combo is a powerful one … and there are not a lot of roadmaps, especially for the digital age.
So true, J.D., it took me a while to get to quitting point, but the irony is that now I would give up anything – including my lifestyle – and I’d never go back and that’s perhaps where some people get stuck … because they taste the nectar that is self-employment and entrepreneurship even though it’s HARD HARD WORK, as opposed to a corporate job where (not in yours but in many) you can fool around all day and hardly get anything done (actually that used to be mine, come to think of it
)! Well said on both. Boy, I’ve really enjoyed this conversation, J.D.!
Hi Farnoosh,
I think I have listened to every single show! I came across your blog and found your voice to be the something I was looking for. Your struggles in the workplace echoed my own but you managed to escape and I wanted to know every detail about that. I started listening because I liked your upbeat delivery, your no-nonsense approach and your honest message. I still listen because every podcast is an affirmation when I am doing something right or a nudge when I have let things get off course.
What I would love for the future podcasts: a new opening song – after 52 times I need a change! I would also like to hear more about figuring out the job that you really want. I know what I like and what I am good at doing but I just cannot make that into a viable business plan. I would love to hear more about that in between step!
Hi Sarah, hon, noted. Andy said we will take the music suggestion “under advisement”
! And request for future episodes: noted also. I’ll work them in as best as I can, Sarah, and you are going to figure out that in-between step, I want so much to help you do that. Thanks for stopping and playing in the contest!