Second Cup: Run to something, not from something

Know what you'd like to do, not just what you don't

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good Morning.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is Laura.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is to
run to something, not from something.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
If you are pondering making a big switch in life,
it is often more motivating to have something you actually
do want to do, rather than just trying to get
away from something you don't. I love hearing from people
who are thinking about switching careers. There are often great

(00:43):
ways to explore new options, and starting something new can
be a good way to become more interested in life.
I can usually recommend ways to fit training and searching
into even a busy schedule. That said, I noticed that
career switchers come in different flavors. Some people have identified

(01:05):
something they are very excited about. They may be reasonably
happy in their current jobs. It's just that there is
something they would like to do more. However, there are
others whose career switching conversations center more on how miserable
they are in their current work. They are looking to

(01:27):
flee their current situations, and that is fine. I don't
want people to be miserable, But sometimes folks then idealize
some other profession as just being incredibly different from what
they are currently doing. The logic goes that if they
are unhappy, now doing something very different should make them happy.

(01:51):
So now they need to go back to school for
two years or more to do that. And I am thinking, WHOA,
let's slow down. No profession is perfect. Even if you
work for a nonprofit that is saving the world, you
can still have a lot of emails and meetings and

(02:11):
a distracted manager. You can have amazing colleagues and get
paid a lot, and have a terrible commute that leaves
you feeling frazzled and starved for time. You can have
incredible flexibility and the ability to work from home on
interesting projects, and yet be in an industry where there's
a lot of consolidation leading to turmoil and layoffs and

(02:35):
the like. You can invest a lot of time and
money in trying to change careers and find on the
other end that things aren't nearly as blissful as you
imagine them to be. I have seen a number of
people switch jobs and careers to find something more flexible,

(02:55):
and I mean anything more flexible, and then they wind
up board because they are not challenged, and unhappy because
they are underpaid. So if you are miserable in your
current job, figure out how to lessen the immediate misery.
First lots of times, these changes can.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Be relatively doable. If you work for a big company,
there is no doubt some other internal team that is hiring,
so you can get away from a terrible manager. If
you've got an awful commute, see if you can work
from home another day or two per week, or find

(03:37):
a different organization that lets you do just that. As
we discussed in another episode this week, there is no
harm in looking for a new job, and you might
find a better one that uses your existing skills and credentials,
no new ones required. If your work feels meaningless, maybe

(03:59):
you can seek a different project or start something new
at your organization that feels more meaningful to you. Or
you can start volunteering on the side, because work doesn't
have to be everything in life. Then, once you have
solved the immediate source of misery, create a vision of

(04:19):
what you would like your life to look like. What
kind of work do you truly want to be doing?
When are you happiest? If you identify jobs that match
up with this happy work, talk to lots of people
in these professions and see what they like and what
they don't like. How would you spend your days if

(04:40):
you did this sort of job? What would your hours
look like? Do the upsides outweigh the downsides? Could you
live with those downsides? When you have a clear vision
of what you are running toward, you can figure out
how to take the steps to get there. But when
you are just running away from some current misery, you

(05:04):
may wind up in a place that is not much
better given the time and energy invested. It's good to
know what you want and not.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Just what you don't. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can
send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at
Before Breakfast Pod.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
That's b the number four then Breakfast pod. You can
also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at
iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast is spelled out with
all the letters. Thanks so much, should I look forward
to staying in tech? Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio.

(06:09):
For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio, app, Apple

Speaker 3 (06:13):
Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.