Summer is coming to an end and children are heading back to school.  Do you remember what it felt like when you headed back to school?  You were most probably all abuzz and excited to be seeing your friends again.  Showing off your new clothes and school gear might have given you an element of joy.  You weren’t necessarily happy to be going to bed early and having homework.  However, this was all part of being with your friends again.  Now as an adult, how often do you long to go back to those “good old days” where you could be care-free and life appeared to be less stressful?

Let’s be honest, times are tough right now.  Everyone is working extremely hard and, yet, people don’t feel that they’re getting ahead as fast as they would like or earning what they would like to.  Most people also aren’t happy with the work environment they’re in.  People are drained, unsatisfied and feeling undervalued.  People are fed up with that saying “No pain – no gain.”  Professionals feel like they’re living that motto every day and something has to finally give.  And, yet, many in the corporate world are afraid to make career moves.  After all, the media, the current election campaigns and even the family all remind us that it’s all about jobs right now – more precisely, the lack of.  So, how could you even contemplate making a career move?

Sometimes, you just have to based upon the circumstances that you’re facing.  You really don’t have a choice if you want to eventually find your way back into that happy space you occupied as a kid heading back to school.  Here are 3 tell-tale signs that you truly need to leave your current career or company and hit the yellow brick road to finding your own personal career fulfillment:

1. “Your health is your wealth” for you means that you’re bankrupt.  You’re sick both physically and emotionally.  You can’t sleep.  You may have high blood pressure.  Your diet is a wreck.  You’re too exhausted to exercise.  You’ve put on weight that won’t come off.  You have continual backaches, headaches or other aches in your body.
2. You’re more Mr. Hyde than Dr. Jekyll.  Do you feel like you’re going through a full personality transformation throughout the day?  Do you look into the mirror and wonder what happened to you?  How did you become so miserable, nasty or agitated?  Do you snap at people at work for no apparent reason?  Do you feel like you’ve become a chronic complainer?
3. You’re kept continually reaching for the stars.  Have you read all the books and taken courses on how to negotiate pay AND taken action upon them to no avail?  Do you hear all the excuses in the world from your higher ups about the economy, lack of profits or how would it look to others if you were to get promoted or receive a higher salary – even though you’re the top-rated performer?

While the times might be hard, when situations like the above arise in your career, you are given an opportunity to truly evaluate where you want to go in life.  Just like Dorothy and her co-horts were able to in their journey to Oz.  Ask yourself whether the position or the company is worth your health, personal happiness or being suppressed.  Look at career options and start planning and taking actions toward a path that is more in alignment with who you are destined to be in the corporate world.

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve recently made a change in your career based on encountering the above.  What steps did you take?  Just comment below.  Also, if you like what you read, please share it with friends by clicking one of the cute buttons above!

P.S.  Looking for guidance, support and motivation to face the many challenges you encounter in the ever-changing business world that continually pushes you to stretch your leadership capabilities to the max?   Then Chamberlain Leadership Executive Coaching might be what you need.  For more info: https://marionchamberlain.com/executive-coaching/.