1. You’re constantly waiting for Friday like…
2. Sundays are great until you realize tomorrow is Monday again.
3. At 5 p.m. you are literally running out the door.
4. You dream about winning the lottery and quitting every single day.
5. When you list off reasons you work for your company the only thought you have is money.
If any (or all) of these apply to you, unfortunately you’ve landed where so many others before you have: in the rat race of life. There you find career unhappiness and while you are moving through life like a robot. Do not fear, rat racer, The Niche Movement has the steps to take to get out of the never-ending cycle and actually enjoy your life and career.
The first step is to recognize and embracing the fact that you need change. So look yourself in the eye (we suggest using your iPhone over the mirror) and say “I am a rat-racer ready to find a job I love”. Then follow these steps below the get yourself out.
· IDENTIFY WHAT YOU’D RATHER BE DOING
Once you’ve learned what you hate about your current job, you have to identify what you want to be doing instead. Everyone wants to be a millionaire-model-rockstar-astronaut overnight. However, listing out the things you actually are passionate about and have talent in can give you a realistic approach to finding jobs in industries that wont make you unhappy. Complete the “Rethink Your Job Search” sheet for added help with this step.
· CREATE SOMETHING
Many times people that try to leave the rat race get discouraged by not finding a new job right away and take the most comfortable path right back to the rat race. The cycle continues. One way to avoid getting trapped in this pattern is to stand out by creating something. No, this doesn’t mean you can do a color-by-number and check this step off your list. Create something usable to the company that you are applying to. If they have poor social media, present them with some post-copy and creative images they could use to beef up engagement. If your prospective company lacks an innovative working environment come up with a few networking events and pricing they could implement in-office. Bringing value to a company before you even work for them proves your worth and makes you stand out in a crowd.
· DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THE CYCLE
As mentioned before, many people take the first job offered to them to gain a paycheck, security, and to put that expensive degree to good use. A year in they start to realize all the characteristics of a job they don’t have like autonomy, work-life balance, and day-to-day excitement. They decide they want to leave the rat race and put in their two weeks notice. Shortly into the processes of finding of a new job, they get discouraged by the rejection and lack of security, and take the first job offered to them. Most time this desperation and lack of selectivity places that person right back where they didn’t want to be: the rat race. Avoid this by preparing properly. Leaving a job is no small decision. Only do so when you can financially afford to do so. Overestimating the amount of down time in between jobs will provide you some extra security. Though this step may add more time in the rat race, doing it properly will ensure that you never end up there again.
Want to talk more about the rat race and share stories? Connect with me @emiliebuck on Twitter. To speed up the process of finding a job you love, you can check out our book or companion guides that are practical and walk you step by step on how to get out of the rat race.
Written by: Emilie Buckley