Has it ever happened to you, where Sunday evening rolls around, and you start to get this dull ache in the pit of your stomach? You know you have to go to work the next morning, and just thinking about it makes you feel trapped. A few years ago when you started in the construction job you are now working, it was exciting and fun. You were learning something new every day and your life was on an upward spiral. You loved going to work, and most of the time you would think positive thoughts about your job even on your days off.
Slowly things started to change. The politics got to be a hassle, your job became less interesting, you didn’t feel like you were being challenged, and you felt like you were being stifled in your professional growth. You started to realize that you no longer liked working at your job and were only tolerating it. Then the question popped into your head, “What do I do now?”
So, what do you do now? Do you continue working in a job and at something you dread doing? You have heard the economy is not doing very well, so you become concerned that you won’t be able to find anything better. Maybe you are in the wrong field? If you are like most people who go through this stage, you are feeling trapped with no way out.
Dan Miller, life coach, suggests that when you are feeling trapped in your job, you practice “Janusian thinking.” As he puts it, “In Greek mythology, the god Janus has two faces looking in opposite directions - a symbol of the concept that any situation can be viewed in opposite ways.”
In other words, “When life hands you a lemon – make lemonade.” Since life has provided you with the lemons, the only way you can now make lemonade is to get the additional ingredients you need and mix them together.
In the case of your dissatisfaction with your present construction job, the lemons are your job situation. The additional ingredients that you would need, include additional information about yourself. Miller suggests that this information can come from asking yourself the following questions.
Slowly things started to change. The politics got to be a hassle, your job became less interesting, you didn’t feel like you were being challenged, and you felt like you were being stifled in your professional growth. You started to realize that you no longer liked working at your job and were only tolerating it. Then the question popped into your head, “What do I do now?”
So, what do you do now? Do you continue working in a job and at something you dread doing? You have heard the economy is not doing very well, so you become concerned that you won’t be able to find anything better. Maybe you are in the wrong field? If you are like most people who go through this stage, you are feeling trapped with no way out.
Dan Miller, life coach, suggests that when you are feeling trapped in your job, you practice “Janusian thinking.” As he puts it, “In Greek mythology, the god Janus has two faces looking in opposite directions - a symbol of the concept that any situation can be viewed in opposite ways.”
In other words, “When life hands you a lemon – make lemonade.” Since life has provided you with the lemons, the only way you can now make lemonade is to get the additional ingredients you need and mix them together.
In the case of your dissatisfaction with your present construction job, the lemons are your job situation. The additional ingredients that you would need, include additional information about yourself. Miller suggests that this information can come from asking yourself the following questions.
1. Why would I hire myself?
2. What are my highest areas of competence?
3. How do those translate into marketable skills.
4. What companies, organizations, or industries would welcome those skills?
5. What kind of business could I create to capitalize on those skills?
Once you have the answers to those questions, you have a better understanding of your skill sets and your career opportunities. Maybe, there are other fields outside of construction where you could work. You would be using the same skills sets that could be developed to a greater degree. You could find yourself working in a career you never imagined. The key to understanding your career potential is to better understand who you are and what your potential skill sets are. Don’t quit your present construction job just yet. Rather, with this information in hand, you can begin an organized approach to exploring the career opportunities that await you. Once you do this you will be on your way to making the best lemonade money can buy.
Tom Borg is a consultant in leadership management, team building and customer service. Please see more of his blogs at constructionjobforceblog.com and csjobsblog.com To view additional job postings go to Nexxt
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!