Monday Motivation – 10 Signs You May Not Be Doing What You Really Want

“Doing what you really want,” sounds great, but it can be a tricky business. You have to figure out what you really want. You need to create a plan to do it. You need to stay on track when things go wrong.

Before you can do any of that, you need to honestly assess whether you really want to be doing what you are currently doing. For some, that’s a no brainer, “yes,” or “no,” answer. For others, there may be a lot more uncertainty.

If you are in that second group, here are 10 signs that you may not be doing what you really want. We all do some, or all, of these things from time to time, but if you find yourself consistently engaging in a few of these, it may be time for a change…

Little Thoughts Keep Popping Up

Sometimes it’s pretty obvious. Throughout your day, whether you are at work or elsewhere, you keep thinking thoughts about leaving your job or doing something different. You may push the thoughts aside or try to ignore them, but they are there for a reason. The next time those thoughts pop up, try to get a better sense of what they trying to tell you.

You Have a “Nagging Feeling” You Can’t Quite Put Your Finger On

The “little thoughts” often come up not in the form of thoughts, but rather as vague feelings. You may have a subtle sense of discomfort or anxiety, but you’re not sure where it’s coming from. Those feelings don’t always mean you are dissatisfied with what you are doing, but they might. If you constantly have a nagging feeling that you can’t place, you may want to take a look at whether you really want to do what you are doing.

You Find Yourself More Prone to Missing Days and Events

This one is easy to miss, because it seems so damned logical. You miss a day of work, or you pass on an additional activity. That makes sense, because your life has gotten busier, right? Maybe. Or maybe you are just not as excited as you used to be. This has happened to me over the years for a variety of things I was doing. After years of full on engagement, I slowly found myself being more willing to miss days, and that was a sign that it might be time to move on.

You Feel De-Energized Before

Whether it’s a job you have, an activity you are engaged in, or a group you volunteer for, if you start to feel de-motivated and anxious before you start, then there is clearly something going on. Regardless of how much you may end up enjoying things once you get there, if you are consistently feeling de-energized beforehand, you may need to evaluate your current interest level.

You Feel De-Energized After

Similar to the last one, if you regularly walk away from work feeling drained, that’s not a good sign. This is not about how hard you work. You can get your ass kicked at work but still love it, and you can expend zero energy and feel completely drained. Don’t worry about logic; ask yourself, “How do I feel at the end of most days?”

You Speak With Ambivalence about What You Do

When someone asks you, “How’s work?” how do you respond? You don’t have to give a chipper, “things are super-double-duper!!” answer (those people creep me out a bit), but if you constantly respond with, “it’s ok,” or, “same old same old,” then something should change. It’s possible you’re not doing the wrong thing and you just need to change your approach or results, but it is worth looking at.

You Never Think Positively about Your Job When You’re Away

What kind of thoughts do you have when you are away from your job? Do you do your best to not think about it at all? Do you think only negative thoughts? If you never have a fond, positive thought about your work when you are away from it, then you need to re-think what you’re doing.

You Give Up on Innovation

Innovation is not just for creative types or inventors. One of the best signs that you are into your work is when you are constantly looking for ways to do it better. These don’t have to be huge innovations; small little improvements are great. However, when you resign yourself to just do what you’re told, how you’re told, in the way it’s always been done, you’ve most likely given up your passion for the work.

You Lose Your Passion for Learning or Improvement

Do you have any desire to learn more about your work and get better? People who are doing what they really want are always looking for ways to improve. They love to immerse themselves in the work and discover new things. If you don’t care about these things at all, then you may need a new path.

Your Goal is to “Not Fail” as Opposed to “Pass With Flying Colors”

What are your current work goals? Do you want to just do a good enough job to not get fired (or reprimanded, or yelled at), or do you attack your day trying to do the best job possible? “Getting by” is not a habit of people who are on the right path, doing what they truly want.

In Conclusion

Change is hard, and it’s usually easier and more comfortable to keep the status quo, even if change would be much better for us in the long run. The first step in making a change is simply noticing that it’s needed. Use the ten signs above and, if they start to seem a little familiar, be willing to have the courage to take the actions you need to make a change now to ensure yourself a great future!

P.S. If you want help figuring out what you really want, here are two great resources you should look at:

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About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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