Are You Too Comfortable In Your Job?

While change is like rest most of us are afraid to leave our jobs not because we cannot secure others which are more rewarding but because we’ve simply taken comfort in our current jobs.

You may be under the best boss employment can offer, one who understand your good and bad moments at work, one who encourages rather than reprimand, better still, your office is simply the best place to spend the whole day with crazy but “cool” colleagues and this makes life tick…well, that’s all good, In fact every office needs that but always remember, no job is permanent so as you ride in the comfort of your job, keep your mind open to other opportunities.

Do not wait for that day when you’ll be fired, on whichever grounds, and start looking for jobs all over the place with no signs of succeeding. You are an individual and you should start thinking of advancing rather than making circles that are not forthcoming.

What is true is that there are job openings. People move, get promoted, start their own businesses or something continues to pull people out of their jobs every day. There are jobs. Maybe not as many and maybe the competition for the ones that come available are stiff BUT there are jobs that need to be filled.

One thing is also true; you won’t get any of them if you don’t try. As human beings if we’re not growing, we’re stagnant, and if we want to grow, our comfort zone will hold us back. So we always need to stretch the limits further and further out.

Most employees are unconsciously stuck in their jobs because they’ve taken comfort in their positions and while in this state they are blind to greater opportunities that they would have easily grabbed. Somebody explain to me how one stays in one job for ten years! Okay it makes sense if over these ten years you’ve been gradually promoted and am not talking of moving from a Cashier to an Accounts clerk then stopping at an Assistant Accountant position…that’s a joke right?

I believe that if you are an ambitious person, with an open mindset, you can achieve the impossible. If for example, let’s say you earn over a hundred thousand, don’t you think you are worth a lot more…that is if did not get there by accident? I’m not saying you go knocking at your bosses’ door demanding for a pay rise, maybe that’s the maximum the company can afford for you or you just have to prove that by working as little harder, but fact is there’s a lot more you can do.

You can not console yourself with the benefits that come with your job like that big company car you drive or the prestigious office you have with expensive furniture and a fridge packed with refreshments to complement, wait for the day you’ll make one impractical move at work…which by the way is very possible since as humans we are bound to make mistakes…..and your employer will throw you out so fast like you never existed in the first place.

In short, think ahead by asking yourself “what else can I do to achieve more?”

Maybe you’re consciously stuck because you don’t know what to do to move beyond your comfort zone. You’ve tried different strategies but nothing seems to move you to the next level.

You also have to stretch and change your mindset. That might mean seeing yourself in a different light, seeing yourself as the person you want to become. You have to weigh the cost of staying where you are vs. the rewards of moving out of your safe space.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. Let’s say you want a promotion at work which would stretch you beyond the work you’ve done before. If you stay in your comfort zone, you’ll do nothing and hope someday you’ll get promoted.

If you are willing to be uncomfortable you may ask someone in human resources to let you know of any openings, and when you hear of one, you would call the person doing the hiring and ask for an interview. Or you would even look for a job in another firm where you could advance further.

All these actions might feel risky, scary, and like a big stretch. But when you weigh the cost of staying at a dead-end job against moving ahead in your career, you get to decide if you want to be uncomfortable-for a little while. It’s not forever, just until you get to the next comfort zone.

An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere. The Pessimist sees only the red light. But the truly determined person is color blind. Are you too comfortable in your discomfort zone? Or are you willing to be a little more uncomfortable for a little while longer, to reach a new place of greater growth? The choice, as always, is yours.

For more on careers visit. http://www.careerpointkenya.com/category/career-job-advice/

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