Things Holding You Back from Leaving a Job You Hate (Even if…

 IMAGE iStock 

Don’t fall into the black hole of complacency

How many times have you said that you’re done with your job, that you’re really going to resign, only to begrudgingly go back to work the following day and decide to keep on grinding until the next emotional explosion. It’s a cycle that you can’t seem to get out of: You know you’re unhappy and that you deserve better, but there always seems to be many factors to consider and you end up feeling unsure, before you then settle into that familiar feeling of dissatisfaction.

Your friends have probably been convincing you to follow through and resign. It seems pretty easy, after all. But maybe, but there are also deep, valid concerns that are holding you back. If you’re having a hard time identifying them, here’s a list of why you probably can’t just submit that resignation letter:

Your current company is your comfort zone

Maybe you’re not staying because of the job; maybe you’re staying for your officemates who have become your friends. Leaving one’s comfort zone can be a very frightening and uncomfortable affair, which is why many people opt to lag behind instead of risking another huge adjustment. While the fear is valid, it can also be holding you back from better opportunities. If you’re having a hard time imagining yourself in a different place, start small and do one activity that will eventually lead you to your goal every day. For example, you can beef up your resume today, then check out job openings tomorrow. These simple actions can help replace fear with excitement—the final push which can help you resign for good.

You’re afraid that you won’t have enough money to make the move

If you’re unsure if leaving is the right thing to do since if you’re having trouble with finances, try to think outside the box. Aside from your current job, from where else can you make money? Maybe you have a lot of very usable, pre-loved items that you can sell, or a skill unrelated to your line of work you can earn from. Leverage on these for a few months, and if they’re viable, make that leap of faith.

You have an existing loan with your current company

This needs a bit of planning, as companies have different ways of dealing with employees with loans who plan on resigning. The best way to ensure that you have a safety net is to have another job already waiting for you, as you’ll probably need to pay off your remaining debt before leaving—which means you’ll have to bid bye-bye to your back pay. You can also ask help from family, but make sure that you’ll return whatever you loan from them at the time you committed to do so.

You feel that you’re too old to change jobs

Newsflash: you are never too old for anything. You can shift jobs or careers anytime as long as you have the courage and the dedication to do so. Now this seems like fluff, but remember than many successful people have changed their lives past the big 3-0. JK Rowling, who managed to publish Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in her thirties, is a living testament to that.

You think it isn’t so bad working where you are

Be careful—you may have already become dangerously complacent that you’ve forgotten your true worth. Sure, you may have settled with a group of work-friends who feel as miserable as you do, but it’s not healthy feeding off that kind of energy for long.

Here’s what you should remember:

No job is worth your personal well-being. As Rachel Thomas writes on Code Like a Girl: “Toxic jobs often cause you to doubt your own perceptions, skew your sense of what’s normal, and require some level of cognitive dissonance just to continue going to work in the mornings.” Don’t fall into that black hole of habit, and never get used to being surrounded with negativity because it can seriously twist your view of what you really deserve. Resigning can be the step back that you need in order to see the big, ugly picture, and when you realize that it’s not worth your effort, take a step forward in a different direction, and look back only to internalize your lessons.

H/T: INC

*****

This story originally appeared on FemaleNetwork.com.

* Minor edits have been made by the Entrepreneur.com.ph editors.