It’s February. The party season is officially over and you’re facing another year in a job or career that you don’t really enjoy. You start to wonder – Is the New Year a time for a New Career?

It very well may be.

I live by a simple maxim: evolve or die. We’re either thriving, growing and evolving in life or our careers or we’re stagnating, regressing and dying. 

In order to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world, we need to do something that we love or pursue a career that allows us to grow and develop. This will ensure that we’re never miserable, stagnant or considered “redundant”.

Here are 10 signs that it may be time to move on and continue growing, evolving and investing in your career:

1. You are not living your Purpose

Our Purpose, our Why, is the reason that we get up in the morning. It drives us forward in life and it motivates us to take action.

Living in alignment with your Purpose gives you clarity, meaning and focus. It is the roadmap which you use every single day of your life to make decisions around the actions and tasks and projects you should undertake.

If we’re not alignment with our Purpose, we feel lost, directionless, confused, frustrated and it feels as though we are hitting our head against the wall. Sound familiar? It may be time to find your Purpose and start living it.

2. You’re bored and aren’t being challenged

Human beings crave certainty, which includes stability, security and consistency, as one of our core needs.

This need for certainty must always be counterbalanced with the human need for uncertainty and variety. An imbalance towards certainty denies us the excitement, challenge, adventure, and change that we need to flourish and grow.

If you’re bored at work, snacking uncontrollably and lacking motivation, it may be time to change things up and add some challenge and variety back into your life.

3. You require freedom and autonomy

You may be better suited to consulting or starting your own business if your primary drivers and core values are freedom and autonomy.

I’m not advocating that everyone run off and start their business. For some of us though, doing our own thing is the path to true happiness and success. Starting a side hustle while we’re still working full-time may be a powerful motivator for us to eventually quit our job.

4. You’re not learning

Much like our need for variety and challenge, we also require emotional, intellectual and spiritual development.

It may be time for you to quit if you feel as though you’re:

• not being challenged in your work.
• not reaching your full potential in your workplace.
• under-utilised by your organisation and your team.
• no longer growing, learning, evolving or contributing.

It’s normal to feel this way. It just means that your role is not meeting your fundamental needs.

5. You turn around and don’t see any role models

Monkey see, monkey do. Successful individuals attribute part of their success to mentorship. You should be very concerned if your organisation doesn’t have colleagues, seniors or leaders that you aspire to learn from.

For many of us, it is important to feel a sense of connection, to be able to communicate openly and to feel as though we’re part of a unified team in order for us to excel in our work.

6. Your job is affecting your mental and physical health

If you’re suffering from constant headaches, anxiety and back pain, your body may be trying to tell you something important. This can happen when we’ve been ignoring our brain and our heart.

If you feel anxiety on a Sunday night and don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, it’s time to check-in with yourself. Anxiety and depression are no joke. Notice the signs and take them seriously.

7. You’re a rat on a sinking ship

Sometimes you find yourself in an organisation that is akin to a sinking ship. Everyone is leaving or your team is dysfunctional. In those circumstances, you need to be the rat that jumps ship and swims to shore. Strap on those floaties and start swimming!

Put yourself before the organisation…always. Your organisation isn’t a living entity and will survive without you.

8. You don’t believe the propaganda

If you cannot bear to listen to the information that comes from head office and you don’t believe what you’re being told by management, it is likely that your personal values are not aligned with the values of your organisation.

The offer of a raise or partnership after a 10-year slog with minimum reward is just not the carrot that many of us are looking for. I personally prefer to grow my own carrots.

9. You ooze negativity

Sometimes you cannot help but complain about your job. That’s fine, as long as you actually do something to change your circumstances. Don’t allow negativity to attract further negativity. Instead, use the negativity to drive yourself forward to a better outcome.

10. You dislike your boss and your colleagues

Life is fleeting and so precious. Bad bosses? Dysfunctional teams? Ain’t nobody got time for that.

If you can relate to any of the above, it may be a sign that it’s time for you to quit your job.

What next?

Some of you may think “What would I do then?” or “You’re crazy, I have a mortgage. You don’t get it”. Yes, I get it. It’s scary.

But I’ve also come out on the other side and I can tell you that it’s worth it. You’ll figure out a way that is infinitely more rewarding than dying a slow death in your ergonomic chair.

Trust me and more importantly, trust yourself implicitly. You can and will do better.

Next week I’ll share my strategy for quitting your job to do or start something else.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about my 10 signs.