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If you’ve found yourself at a dead end in your job, you’re not alone. So how do you make the same (or more) money without sacrificing yourself at the same time. Have you read other motivational books or tapes and then get through them only to realize that the essence of what you just read was “Decide what you want and go for it,”? They make it sound so easy, and for some people maybe it is. But if you’re like most people, you feel stuck where you are and really have no easy way to get out. You’re actually lucky to be where you are and can’t afford to take a risk. Many of you have listened to those seminars and they sound so great, but then you go home and you have a mortgage you can barely make, health insurance to pay for - if you’re lucky, a family to support, credit card bills, no money in the bank… Maybe you’ve set a goal of making more money. For the average middle-class worker, that means two options. One is to change jobs. But if you’ve hit a dead end, chances are you spent many years working your way to that position, and can’t really jump ship. I personally worked for 12 years at a job before hitting a dead end with my salary. I knew I couldn’t go get a job somewhere else for the same pay. And it’s not a realistic option for many people. Your other option is to work more hours… at the expense of your family and leisure time. If you do that, you’ll find yourself wanting to work less, despite the money. So many of us get stuck and can’t get out. What do you do?First, you really need to evaluate what you have and the position you’re in. Don’t just sit there and think about it for a minute - really delve into it. If your job bores you to tears, and if you feel you could make the same (or better) salary elsewhere, then it’s definitely in your best interest to look around. But don’t just look around at anything. Think about what you love. Your hobbies and your passions in life. I had a boss who never said much… until I mentioned golf - and then he wouldn’t shut up! Is there something that can really get you to wake up and start talking like that? Is there something that puts a spark in your eye that you feel nearly fanatical about? Chances are the answer is yes. And let me guess - you’re not working a job in this field already, right? If you were working at a job you loved that much, you’d never read a page like this. Well the first thing you need to do is consider all the jobs available to someone who shares a passion like you do. And of those jobs, which ones excite you the most? Which ones make the most money? Is there a business you could start on your own?

Before I go any further, let me share you with a piece of advice given to me over and over again. You’ve probably heard it, too. And that is… It’s far more important have a job you love than to have a job that pays well. If you’ve ever had a job you really disliked, you’ll know why this is important. I once had a job I enjoyed very much, and I got a job offer for double the money somewhere else. The problem was - this job was doing something I knew I’d hate, and it was for a big corporation. That meant wearing a suit and tie and climbing the corporate ladder, and driving in rush-hour traffic both ways. But it was double the money. After thinking about it seriously for awhile, I finally decided to pass on the job offer, and never regretted that decision. The bottom line is that the money isn’t worth it if you’re miserable. And being miserable at work usually means you’re miserable at home. And no amount of money is worth that. Take this one thing to heart - and that is to always work at a job you love, and you will never have to worry about money. If you truly love your job, you’ll be excited about it, and you’ll be rewarded.

Now, if you don’t have a family and you are in a position to take a chance, I say go for it. Set yourself very specific goals and figure out what it will take to reach them - every step of the way. Then put all your energy into reaching that first step. Don’t focus on the final goal - focus your energy on the first step. And then the second, and so on, until you’ve reached your final goal.

Read my blog about setting and achieving goals for more information.

Tags: career, job, Self Help

This entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 12:35 pm and is filed under Self Help. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.