11 Warning Signs That Your Job Owns You (Without You Knowing It)

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

You walk into work a couple minutes early and head straight to your desk.  You open your inbox, take a look through your to-do list, and get ready to start the day.  You try to plan your day as quickly as possible to insure you get everything finished early so you can meet friends for drinks after work.

You’re particularly motivated because you have plans, so you knock out your first three tasks in record time.  Then all hell breaks loose.

All of a sudden you’re fielding emergency phone calls with one hand, answering emergency emails with the other, scheduling two hours worth of meetings and just like that you have to cancel your plans. Read the Rest of This Article »

Being Stuck

‘I feel the most fulfilled and perform best when I am helping others in a direct capacity, and am learning in a collaborative work environment.’

I recently told a friend this.  Being able to put such thoughts into concise expression hasn’t always been easy for me.  In fact, in my past, I’ve actually had different ideals, which I’ve gravitated toward.  These ideals had little to do with my aforementioned paraphrase.

I’ve done considerable research on my interests and passions as well as possible career options, which take advantage of the intersection of these areas.  I’ve read numerous books on these subjects, seen documentaries and lectures on the topics, and sought out a variety of mentors and a number of individuals in my own career search and selection.  I’ve even done career assessment through surveys.  I recently took one of these types of career assessments. Read the Rest of This Article »

Money Myths That Stop You From Making Big Money: Myth 2

I  MUST HAVE A JOB.

This is one incredible money-myth whopper.

How long has the job been in existence? A hundred years, perhaps? The job creates a false sense of security, but also that of indentured servitude.

For a job, we trade our biggest chunk of time each day for a “pot of porridge, credit card debt, and a home the bank owns.” We have traded our talents, youth, even our soul, for the promise of a steady paycheck. Yet, God, the creator, the source of life, has kept people alive for thousands of years without jobs. If you don’t believe in God, you can see that people have been kept alive by using resources provided by “the creation,” the “Mother Earth.” And “the job market” has not made anyone wealthy except for the people who in- vented it, perpetuate it, and wield the educational system to train peo- ple to work in it! Read the Rest of This Article »

Hate Your Job? Here’s the Solution…

Breaking news! Most Americans don’t like their jobs. The results of a new Conference Board study show 55% of Americans are dissatisfied with their work, which was the lowest level ever recorded in more than 22 years of studying the issue.  Is it just me, or are these results completely NOT shocking?

It’s like the groundbreaking research the University of Waterloo conducted that showed “smoking in a car poses a potentially serious hazard to occupants — particularly children.” Sorry sweetie, daddy didn’t realize that lighting up in the minivan was bad for you. Soon they’ll discover exercise can help you lose weight (whoops, it appears a recent study confirms this).

Do you want to know what I find shocking about the job satisfaction survey? That more people don’t hate their jobs. My guess is that when people were asked if they were satisfied with their jobs they either lied to the researcher or they’ve been lying to themselves. Read the Rest of This Article »