Be Creative When You Work The "Just Quit" Steps...Connect the Dots

The job I have is making me sick, physically sick just thinking about being there makes me ill.

It’s where hard work is ignored and politics are constantly at play.

It’s a place that discourages development and growth of its team and encourages “top down” mechanics under the guise of being a company run on new age defining principles.

It’s a place where I feel creatively stifled even though I have a creative role.

I have no desire to work within the field I’m in anymore and there is so much more to life that I have true interest in.

~Worker Living in CALIFORNIA

In many of the “Just Quit” Steps we have the opportunity to be creative.

Go back to the Steps and think creatively.

You will be amazed at what happens.

You will almost forget all about the crap that is going on at work.

You might even be grateful for it all. Grateful that it has brought you to this point.

The more creative you are working the Steps the more excited you will become at the endless possibilities of the way forward.

Get creative when you work the Steps.

You are reading from the book “Just Quit” & Live

 

10,000 Survey Responses Reached!

We now have reached the 10K mark on the “Just Quit” Your Job Survey.

Thank you to everyone over the years who have freely participated and shared their stories.

Below are the results:

Just Quit Your Job Survey Results as of 4/4/21

Tired, Tired, Tired. Are You Tired Enough to Do Something About It?

I’m tired of working for a place that doesn’t care about its’ employees.  They treat us like we are just cogs in the wheel, easily disposable and replaced. 

I’m tired of standing up all night on a midnight shift.

I’m tired of inhaling smoke and dealing with mean and rude customers.

I’m tired of not doing anything with meaning and purpose. 

I have a bachelor’s degree and don’t feel I should be a cashier at a casino.

This job doesn’t even pay all of my bills yet.  I travel 45 minutes away from my house to only pay half of my bills, so there is a lot of stress around not having enough money.

~Worker Living in ILLINOIS

It is okay to be tired.

Actually it’s more than okay to be tired.

Until we get so “tired” of this and that we will stay stuck denying there is a problem.

• We won’t change.

• We won’t make the preparations to “Just Quit”.

• We won’t take action and move forward.

“Tired” helps you to decide on a better way of life and take actions to move towards your reason for being.

You are reading from the book “Just Quit” & Live

You Can Learn Great Things From Your Mistakes When You Aren't Busy Denying Them

I can’t stand this workplace, the environment is negative, the workers are unhappy, the customers are ghetto and classless.

The Store Director has a chip on his shoulder.

It’s a very political place.

~Worker Living in California

When we are clear of what is not working for us in our jobs, we are half-way there.  We know what we don’t like.  We know not to put ourselves in that type of work situation in the future.

There is something about your current job that you do not like.  What is it?  Just name one thing that you don’t like.  Sometimes just naming it helps.

  Try not to forget what that one thing is so you don’t end up back dealing with that one thing again in another job down the road (out of desperation or just forgetting what was not working). There is something that this work situation is trying to teach you, learn it so you don’t have to repeat it down the road.

When Writing The Story Of Your Life Don't Let Anyone Else Hold The Pen

It is a sales job and I’m interested in the marketing side, specifically market research. My current sales job has heavily increased the amount of merchandising I do, and I feel that I didn’t go to college to do something I did as a teenager for a summer job.

My boss also enjoys taking responsibility for big sales I make. 

I often work 8am to 8pm while being asked why I didn’t get to all my stores. My superiors play a game of willful ignorance about customer level issues that cause all the sales reps to work long, unpaid overtime (which is illegal-they’re getting sued for this) because their hands seem tied in terms of covering their own “butts”.  Even talking to them about any technical issues in the slightest results in a response of: “I don’t understand. I don’t see how that could be” and me slamming my head against the wall.

Our territories in the past two years have become overly large due to not replacing old territories and we’re still pushed to do what 2.5 sales reps could barely handle two years ago.

Other members of my company come into my territory and screw things up with my hot leads by trying to sell without me, often claiming sales while not actually ever speaking to the decision maker, and then I have to defend myself later when the sale never comes through.  

I’m surrounded by work 24/7 because our selling displays are in my house.  I work from home and go into the field every day.  I have files and boxes all over my house.  

The Monday-Friday article you wrote perfectly describes my life every week, and I need time to learn SPSS and other statistics programs to make a change. However, since my life revolves around this job I have a hard time finding time to work on my skills.

~Worker Living in Wisconsin

We all have a work story. 

You have a work story for this job and every job you have ever had.  A story has a beginning, middle and an ending. 

How do you want this job to end?  When do you want this job to end? This job WILL end and you can help orchestrate its ending the way you want it to end.

Maybe You Don't Have To Push Yourself Forward. Maybe You Just Have To Stop Holding Yourself Back. ~Doe Zantamata

I’ve been there too long, going nowhere; in fact I’m going backwards.

Work has affected my mood.

~Worker Living in South Africa

Sometimes not only are we not going forward but we are going backwards.

We are losing ground.

If you are going backwards, it’s time to stop and regroup.  What do you need to do today to stop this slide backwards?

Never Forget Who Was There For You When No One Else Was...Find Support

I am sick to death of my job.

I’ve been through a crisis and my work city is not where my support networks are.

~Worker Living in the United Kingdom

At the end of the day we need support. We need others to be there for us.

 We need someone we can trust to talk things over with.  We need a system or a network of support. 

 Today, cultivate your support system. Find one safe person in your life and talk to them about what is going on at the job. If you can’t find one person then trust yourself…say: ”I can trust myself.  I can support myself.  Everything will be okay.  I will get through this.”

Learn To Balance A Dream And A Job Until Your Dream Becomes Your Job

I lose a lot of time on work and cannot pursue my interests which in turn cannot be created into a career that I want to create it into.

So, it is a vicious cycle of making ends meet so that we have some money to pursue what we really like, but lose time for pursuing the things we truly like. And we get back in the cycle of earning more money and trading time.

~Worker Living in New Jersey

Yes, there is a cycle of doing what we are doing to make money verses having the time to do what interests us.

We have to find balance between the two. 

We have to look around at our life, make sure we are in balance and pursuing our interests.

 

P.S.

Below is a pretty interesting post about finding balance and doing something now towards your interest/dreams even while you are stuck in your day job.

HOW TO START OVER Post 

If You Always Do What You Always Did You'll Always Get What You Always Got ~ Einstein

I have been looking for another job for the past 5 years.

I have done at least 2-4 interviews a year and still haven’t gotten another job.

I’ve been burnt out from my current job for the past three years (I’ve been at my current job for 9 years).

We recently changed companies and the new management has been hard to deal with. More than 5 managers have left on their own just within the past 5 months.

I try to go in with positivity but it always quickly turns into negativity due to the lack of communication and the style of management.

~Worker Living in South Carolina

You are reading from the book “Just Quit” & Live

We need to listen to the messages that are coming to us. 

We can’t keep doing the same things and hoping and praying for a different result.  If what we have been doing is not working we need to do something different that we haven’t tried before.

1. Should we be looking for another j-o-b?

2. Should it be in a different industry?

3. Should we be at a point we can freelance or consult?

4. Should we update our interview skills? (Here are some great tips from The Ladders)

If what we have been doing has not been working then we need to switch it up.

Once You Make A Decision The Universe Conspires To Make It Happen - Emerson

I’ve already made the decision.

No growth.

Dead end.

I give more than I receive.

No respect.

Company is too small.

~Worker Living in North Carolina

You are reading from the book “Just Quit” & Live

Today, ask yourself: Do I need to quit this job?

It’s a yes or no answer.

No big deal, just a decision.

Make it.

You are not deciding “when” or “how” to quit; you are only deciding “if” you need to quit.

Who Am I? Ask Yourself That Over & Over Again.

I am quitting my job because my boss is disrespectful to all his employees.

He has no problem belittling and embarrassing us in front of the patients and he is just rude in general.

I am constantly stressed, always in a sour mood and have gained 15 pounds since I started there three months ago.

I do not have another job lined up but I feel that for the sake of my mental and physical health this is the best solution.

~Worker Living In Wisconsin

Today, take a good long look in the mirror and ask yourself;

“Who am I?” 

Ask that same question over and over and over again while looking at yourself in the mirror.  This will help you determine your next move.

P.S.

To provide you with a little help to recognize who you are once you get beyond your name, title, stuff you have, your ego…

• OSHO’s thoughts on the subject are here.
• Kate Tempest take is below.

Stop Struggling To Figure Out Why You Are Stuck In Your Job

I am stuck in an abusive job.

I love the job itself but my immediate boss is a megalomaniac and sociopath who wants everything done how he would do it, but with the added benefit of shirking accountability for anything that is instigated by him.

He keeps me in hours and hours of useless meetings just to find fault with my hard work which until now was always praised by others.To him, everyone is stupid and useless except him and he verbalizes this frequently.

His boss is so paranoid of losing his job that he doesn’t care how anyone is affected by seemingly arbitrary decisions that invariably affect us negatively. The final straw was a recent demotion for which not a shred of an acceptable rationale was given.

No guidance from either manager, just impossible timelines, expectations and harsh criticism.

~Worker Living in Canada

Today stop struggling to make sense out of why you are stuck in this job.  Struggling to figure out why you are working for your boss.

You know there is a reason. 

You know there is a lesson.

You didn’t do anything to deserve to be stuck here.

You deserve more.

Just be patience because better is on the way for you.

Dancing Towards The Sunlight

I used to really like my job at the local phone company…I started working there in my 20s; great salary, union job with benefits. Over the past 26 years the company has become so corporate with its mergers and micromanaging. The stress is unreasonable and now with the new monitoring equipment, every key stroke is looked at.

Working in an environment that fosters creativity is no longer an option; you are just a number and are never heard. Bottom line is I hate my job. HATE with a passion. 

I leave work and my shoulders are so tight because I feel like I’m always hurrying up to do my job to make my numbers. Customers only matter in as much as the amount of revenue generated.

Corporate America goes against the very fabric of who I am: creative, passionate, and curious. So, I’m quitting!!

I’m giving up all of the financial perks of working there and decided to DO WHAT I LOVE. Life is too short. I’ll be 50 in a few weeks and want to enjoy what I do….I want to be creative….I want to make a difference in the world.

I am seeking employment in the nonprofit business sector and couldn’t be happier.

I feel as though I’m emerging from some hot, sticky, murky pond of goo and dancing toward the sunlight.

Thank you for sharing what you did….funny how we are given surprising gifts in life at just the right time.

~Worker Living in Pennsylvania

 

You too can emerge from the “hot, sticky, murky pond of goo and dance towards the sunlight”.

You might feel stuck, but it’s not cement that you are in – it is goo.

To let come the sunlight you have to let go of what is keeping you stuck in the goo.

Feel Broken? Feel Stressed? Feel That; Then Put Yourself Together & Fly Away

My health has been declining from the stress. I cry almost every day. The stress has become unbearable.

I want to have time again to relax and to rediscover myself without stress surrounding everything I do. The stress at my job currently follows me everywhere so it’s hard to just have fun outside of work even.

I also want to make a career change and want to narrow down what I’d like to do (I am pretty sure I want to become a programmer or web developer.)

I feel broken and want to feel whole again.

~Worker Living in Colorado

Emotional stress can make us feel broken. 

It can make us not find pleasure in anything. 

We can put ourselves back together. We WILL put ourselves back together one piece at a time. We will not let this job break us down, not today.

Don't Think You Can Hold On? You Can...Just Hold On...

I hate my job. I dread going into work every morning, and I am always looking for an excuse to get out of work. It’s not that I don’t like the actual job itself, but I don’t like the management style, or the environment that I’m in.

My boss, who I used to think was a great boss, is actually a terrible manager.

I don’t know how much longer I can last.

~Worker Living in Canada

A part of getting through the “Just Quit” process is to learn to wait.  To hold on.  Even though “Just Quit” is about letting go; you have to hold on until you are SURE that you need to let go. 

Today, just hold on.

• Hold on to the fact that you have come this far. 
• Hold on to the fact that you are not alone.
• Hold on to the fact that you KNOW you will survive this. 
• Hold on to the fact that one day you will look back on this time in your life and be able to share your story with someone about how to make it through a job that they need to “Just Quit”.

For today, just hold on.

Take Your Monday's BACK...Sunday's TOO!

I start to dread Monday morning at 9:30 am Sunday morning.

I’m ill all the time due to the stress.

I’ve not been healthy for over a year.

The job is pointless and there is no satisfaction at all. I’m not appreciated. In fact, I believe I’m being actively encouraged to leave and I’m disliked by my boss.

~Worker Living in the United Kingdom

Monday mornings are the worst.

The absolute worst.

We already know this, so instead of dreading it, just “feel it”.  Feel how HORRIBLE you feel on Sunday’s as you anticipate Monday’s.  What is happening in your body?  What are you thinking?

NOW — how many more Sunday’s and Monday’s are you going to go through this?  When will this end? It’s up to you. Really IT is up to you.

  You can DECIDE to “Just Quit”. You can decide to create a plan to get out of this situation. You can not only ENJOY Monday mornings; but EVERY Monday morning.

It’s a radical thought, but it’s true.

Fear + Anger + Hate = Suffering. Stop Suffering & Work Your "Just Quit" Plan

I wake up dreading the coming day.

I feel mentally drained after work and can’t concentrate on anything. I feel physically sick/anxious.

I’m sick of taking sh*t from other people that think they are entitled to it because they are above me on the corporate ladder. Every single day I want to grab them by the ears and knee them in the face.

~Worker Living in Finland

Today, acknowledge that you may be angry and may feel rage but that you will not be violent.

If you think of violent things to do to anyone at work, recognize that that is not the answer.

You can be kind to yourself and acknowledge that you might have reason to think these thoughts, but don’t act on them.  Instead work your “Just Quit” plan and leave this job gracefully.

Say "Yes" To Yourself. Yes. Yes. Yes.

I have my own business that cannot thrive or grow without me devoting more time to it. It has gotten to the point where the things that need to be done for my business require more time and more effort. I am so drained from my job during the day, that I lack the energy to want to do anything else. In truth the time is there I am just worn out.

I also no longer enjoy what I do because I am being overwhelmed by too many unrelated job tasks. I feel that now that it is just me and one other person there are 9-5 responsibilities that shouldn’t necessarily be mine, but have become my duty.

I don’t feel that I am good at graphic design and having the pressure of doing something that I don’t think that I am good at is stressful. This isn’t what I signed up for and I have the skill but it’s not an area where I excel, so I feel like the pressure of my work not being good enough.

 My job title is Project Manager but I have no team to manage or assist with anything, everything is on me.

~Worker Living in New Jersey

Our first duty is to ourselves.

Today, we will focus on what WE want.

It's A New Year - Focus On Taking Care Of Yourself This Year

I don’t like my job.

I don’t like the people I work with.

It is taking away my happiness mentally and physically. My job is causing me issues in my marriage, and with my immediate family.

I feel stuck, depressed, and unable to take care of myself.

~Worker Living in Oregon

We can take care of ourselves. 

Sometimes we are the only ones who can take care of our situations.  As much as we want someone to step in and figure it out for us, sometimes that someone is only us. 

We are able to figure this out. We will get through this.  We will survive it.

Claim Your Freedom & Move Towards What You Want To Do In Life

I’m quitting because my current job gives me anxiety.

I hate teaching and planning lessons.

I don’t see myself doing this the rest of my life so why should I stick this out the rest of the year.

~Worker Living in North Carolina

Claim your freedom to move forward with your decision to “Just Quit”.

If you know this is not the job or career that you want for the rest of your life, so it’s just a matter of time before you make a change. 

Today move towards that change.