How To Get Out Of A Career Rut And Rediscover Your Passion

When you are waking up and getting ready to go to work, how do you feel? Does it take you forever to get out of bed, or are you contemplating whether to get back in? When you’re getting dressed, are you dreading going in and amping yourself up for your workday? Are you having any opposing thoughts or energy surrounding yourself regarding your job and your workplace?

If so, then that’s your mind, body, and soul telling you that it may be time for a change. Your body may be telling you that you are hitting a stage of a career rut. A career rut is when you feel like you’re stuck in the same position in some way. You begin to feel these negative feelings towards your job, and you become disinterested in your job. Still not sure,, then here are some signs that you are in a career rut.

Signs You Are In A Career Rut 

Sunday Scaries 

This is when you are thinking about work the next day and how much you don’t want to go. This could be simple as dreading making your lunch for the next day, or you don’t sleep that night because you are tossing and turning with your job on your mind. Your whole day goes to waste by you thinking of every possible negative thing about your job. 

Your job lacks purpose. 

You feel like this job is just not for you anymore, and you continue to ask yourself why I am doing this and what’s my purpose for being here. You feel like your job isn’t providing that change you wanted, which could be within yourself or the world. You feel like you can do more, but your job just isn’t giving it to you. 

Your overall health is changing.

If you are experiencing significant mental health effects and other effects, this is a key sign you’re in a career rut. Examples are if you’re more depressed, stressed, sick, or experiencing headaches and insomnia. You notice a dramatic change in your health.

You aren’t progressing

You are stagnant and in the same spot that you have been in since day one. You haven’t gone forward or even have the desire to move forward. You don’t have that motivation or drive to progress, and it’s not your top priority. 

Disengaged and Unfocused 

At meetings or conversations with others, you aren’t mentally there, and honestly, you don’t want to listen to what anyone has to say. When it comes to projects, whether it be group or solo, you aren’t putting in your all or don’t want to accept the project or pass things off to others. Your body is physically at your job, but your mind and soul aren’t.

Once you have identified these signs, there is no time to sit around. You are at a place in your life that you’re not satisfied with, so it’s time to change it. The one essential tip to remember when it comes to difficult situations like this is to act on them immediately.

How to Overcome a Career Rut 

Acknowledge 

Acknowledging that problem will help you realize and come to terms with yourself that this isn’t a situation that you should continue to put yourself in. Some don’t want to acknowledge the problem; some may feel that this is some phase that everyone goes through once they get a job. Acknowledging the problem and know that this isn’t a phase and it’s an actual issue, you are genuinely unhappy with your job, and this is not something that you want to continue doing.

Not an easy road (Putting in the work)

Engrave into your mind that it may not be easy, and that’s fine. Like the hard work you put into getting the job you are currently at, you have to put in the work to find what you genuinely want to do. Know that everything you have accomplished in your lifetime has required hard work, so remember that this will require the same. Please don’t go into this process thinking it will be a piece of cake because there may be some challenges along the way.

Be honest with yourself. 

Being honest with yourself is the key to dealing with any situation in life honestly. Asking yourself, “Is this really what I want to do, “Is this just something that’s paying the bills, or “is this job genuinely making me happy?” Are you going into work unhappy, negative thoughts, or just dreading it all together? Then you may not be where you need to be, and it’s time for you to open your eyes and be honest with yourself. If you’re not honest with yourself throughout this whole process, then you aren’t going to get anywhere.

Rediscovering your passion

What’s that one thing or things that excite you, and you can imagine furthering your life with that. Is there something that you wanted to pursue before, but you opt for what you have now because it “gets you by.” Remember what used to make your spark before you lost that spark? Well, purse it, go for it, rediscover what made you happy and what you love to do.

Create a goal/game plan 

To sum it all up, make sure you create a game plan for how you want to go about things. Sit down and create a game plan for yourself, so you know where you are going, and Write down everything, so you know where you are in your process. It’s better to have a plan rather than not having a plan. Also, you will be organized in the whole process, and writing down your game plan can make this process a lot easier for you.