A job you hate? Well, its only temporary!

Do you hate your job right about now? Concerned about the tough job market? Thinking you’ll never escape? Well, think again! There is light at the end of the tunnel, but for now, let’s consider ways to make it more bearable. Sleeping 12 hours a day? Crying about how much you hate your job? Bemoaning your fate to friends and family? Well, take a look at these strategies and add some proactive and self-protective tactics to your survival strategy!

1. Your mantra must become: “Its only temporary.” Reminding yourself of this fact can help you to remember that change does happen and you are not doomed forever. If you need to, repeat this mantra to yourself 50 times a day.

2. Do something everyday to move you closer toward your goal—whether that’s a new job, a career transition, or starting your own business. Little things mean a lot:
· Spend just 5 minutes a day looking at job postings on line.
· Spend 5 minutes a week editing and improving the key words in your resume.
· Find a networking group and attend one meeting a month. Just one can make a big difference.

3. Talk to your co-workers. Even if you cannot tolerate even one in the bunch, socializing (that’s right, for only 5 minutes) lifts your mood and makes the day go faster.

4. Manage Up—learn to coach your boss. When your boss behaves in ways that are helpful, or maybe even just tolerable, positively reinforce him or her by giving praise. People learn quickly to repeat behaviors that others find desirable. This is a great strategy for systematically eliminating bad boss behaviors and increasing good ones.

5. You know it—Exercise. Take the pup out for 15 minutes before work. Not possible? Here’s a secret strategy: Go into the bathroom, or the stair well and do a few sets of jumping jacks, lunges, and squats. You’ll get your blood pumping and look toned to boot.

6. Increase the Life in Work Life Balance! Being in a job you hate causes depression, frustration, lethargy, and overall bad moods. Plan your life like you plan your work week. Schedule two to three nights a week for socializing with friends.
--A bottle of wine and a bag of pretzels and you’ve got “Happy Hour at Home.”
--Expand your horizons with a free or low-cost class at the local high school. Belly dancing anyone?
--Massage night with your mate—60 minutes each—no cost, high return on investment (decreased stress, affection, and who knows what else?).

Balance between your life and your work will make your hell-job more bearable. Remember, its 8 hours a day.

If all else fails, here’s a sure-fire way to make the day move faster. Everyday, write out the total hours you must spend at work just like this: 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 on a sheet of paper. Fold it up to make it really small. Keep it in your pocket. After each hour passes, take a big marker and draw an X though that hour. So, let’s say its 10:00 and you’ve survived your first hour at work. Celebrate by drawing a big X through the 8. Now, only 7 more to go. You’ll start to see progress in no time!

With Encouragement: Sarah Shore, M.S.

Making Changes...One Stage at a Time

Have you ever heard yourself saying, "I'm making changes in my life." or "I'm turning over a new leaf." or "I need to do something different"? Deep down, most of us want to do better or be better at something. But how do we get there? What are the stages involved in creating change?

When working with my clients, its very helpful for me to think about change in stages. As a way of thinking about it, I often find myself assessing a client's readiness for change by using the model developed by Prochaska and DiClemente (1992) which breaks down "changing" into 5 stages. Let's use an example--finding a new job.

• Precontemplation: You are unhappy at your current job but don't do anything to change it because you do not realize the extent of the negative effect your current position has on your life, your emotions, and even your relationship with friends and family. Clients often find themselves bouncing between precontemplation and the next stage.
• Contemplation: You realize your job is making you miserable and you start to think about making a change. But, its hard work to change...and you think to yourself, "Well, is it really that bad?" Many times, people tend to decide its not that bad and return to the precontemplation stage.
• Preparation: You've had enough! You have committed to making a change and your are getting ready. You are sending out resumes, networking, and passing the word along to associates and contacts. You have committed to making a change.
• Action: You are taking actions like those listed above to make a career change and systematically implementing actions to achieve your goal. You may not reach it overnight so its important in this stage to give yourself credit for the actions you've taken. You carefully consider your options and your next steps.
• Maintenance: You've accomplished your goal. You are in a new work position. You evaluated your options carefully. You celebrate your success and evaluate after 6 months to insure you made the right choice and that you are indeed, happier.

Many of my life coaching and business consulting clients come to me in the contemplation stage--pretty sure they want to make a change but not sure if the outcome will be worth the investment (emotional, mental, financial, etc.). As a coach and consultant, its my job to let you know up front if I think you can be successful. If you want to make a change in your life, career, or business, see if you can identify where you are in the stages of change model. Remember, once you decide to make a change, or move closer to a goal--continue moving forward. Continue taking action everyday. You will reach your goal or accomplish your objective. But it takes hard work, courage, and committment. Remember also, it happens "one stage at a time."

With Encouragement, Sarah Shore, M.S.