November 2009

 
Why do you do what you do for a living? If you say that you love what you do, you are lucky. Only a small minority can actually claim to be happy doing what they do. 

Most people will say they do their job for the money. They would ideally want to do something different but they believe they have to stay and do more of the same to get that income. Here are the top 5 reasons you should not just chase those dollar bills:
 
1. You will never make enough
 
There will never be enough hours in the day to earn enough if you are not having your money work for you. There is only so much one individual can do in a job and this is what you will be paid for. You can only be paid for the work you are doing and never earn passive income. Being employed is very much “the more you put in, the more you get out” when in fact you could put less in and get more out if you only knew how to. Starting a business on the side, investing in the markets or in real estate, creating work that will generate royalties will allow you to make passive income. This will in turn free you up to focus on what you really enjoy in life. Your day job will not make you wealthy and will not open you up to new opportunities outside of your day to day tasks.
 
2. The debt spiral
 

 
We spend a lot of time at work, from Monday to Friday probably more waking time in the office than with our families and loved ones. If we are to cope with this, we have to make sure we make the most out of our work time and enjoy it.
 
1. Positivity and smiling
 
Positive thinking can feel labored at times but has been proven to work in multiple of studies. Smiling is infectious and is the simple form of positivity that uses what psychologists refer to as the theory of self-perception (if you see yourself as happy, you will become happy). Being positive leads to efficiency and well being for yourself and the people around you. When you radiate positivity in an office, others will be picked up as a result. When trying this out, make sure you stay away from any negative people as they are bound to bring you down.
 
2. Moving around
 
Walk the stairs instead of taking the elevator in the mornings, go for a walk at lunch and walk around the office when making phone calls. Energy comes from oxygen, oxygen comes from motion so the more you move about, the more energy you get. I don’t know about you, but when I have lots of energy I tend to be a happy camper.
 
3. Declutter
 
There are books dedicated to this single point. Make sure you have a clean workspace and environment around you. Clutter brings you down on a subconscious level – it looks like even more work to be done. Have a clear structure and organization on your desk so you can swiftly leave a task and come back to it later. You should also have an effective workflow and make use of in- and out-boxes.

You may have an inkling that the time has cometh for you to seek pastures new, or you might just want to make sure that you are doing the right thing by staying put. Either way, go through these points and see if they apply to you.
 
1. Sense of purpose
 
Does your job require you to perform meaningful and fulfilling tasks? This is subjective and can only be answered by your own satisfaction after a day of hard work. You will want to feel that your effort has made a difference to your customers and is important to the business of your company. Ask yourself how the company would be affected if you left.
 
2. Comfort Zone
 
Is your job fairly easy? Is it boring and does it lack the challenge at times? You might have done it for a while and realized that experience does pay off in this particular job. This is true but too much experience of only one position will hamper your career as you will lack the holistic view of you industry.
 
3. Development
 
Are you still learning? They say the rich never work for money, only to learn. You probably need the money but if you are no longer learning, you are not doing your career or yourself any favors. The goal is to make money and learn. Ask yourself, when was the last time you received relevant and high quality training? Is anybody mentoring you and making sure you develop? What have you learned since you started in this position and what do you think you will learn if you stay?
 
4. Career opportunities
 

Ever asked yourself why so many young and able-bodied end up in the recruitment game? What attracts them to what some would say is a less than intellectually stimulating profession? Hint: it rhymes with honey.

Having somebody find you a position, coach you through an application process and negotiate an offer seems like a great service. Especially since you get it gratis. The beauty for candidates is that recruiters charge their clients a fee. This is often a win-win-win situation; you get the job, the recruiter gets the placement (and fee), the client gets a new member of staff.  

Does the recruitment fee affect my salary?

The answer to that is generally no. The salary you get is the same as you would get without the recruiter, it is in the interest of your new employer that you are happy with the salary today and moving forwards. Having said that, the fee can sometimes affect you chances of getting an interview in case there are direct (free) applicants of your caliber in the running.