I was talking with a friend the other day about various aspects of life and she made this comment, “it doesn’t have to be bad to be better.” I found it very insightful and very relevant to the work I do every day. Many people feel “fine” in their jobs. They might not look forward to their work, but they don’t dread it either. Many of these individuals don’t necessarily look for ways to improve their situation or seek out a career coach. They live in the status quo and believe it works for them. Their pain point isn’t great enough for action.

Act before the pain is too great

However, this is a great time to take action – before it gets bad and while small changes can make a significant difference in your life and in your work. Oftentimes when individuals wait until the pain in their current job becomes too great, the process of making the change seems too slow.

For example, we have individuals who work with us who hate their company or truly hate their job. They want out immediately. The pain is too great. It might take them three months or longer to get that new job depending on their circumstances. The thought of it taking 90 days or more to find and get that new job or work for a new company seems unbearable. Each of those 90 days seems longer and longer.

Making it better doesn’t mean a dramatic change

Start the process of taking steps to make your current job better or to find a new one while the pain of the job is still manageable or when it’s not really painful at all but doesn’t feel great. Starting early will make the process of making changes easier and even enjoyable, verses stressful and long. While I do work with clients in career transitions, I also work with many individuals who want to stay – and should – in the job they are doing at the company they are working for. They just want to enjoy it more. We work on an action plan to make the job feel better before it gets bad.

In summary, don’t wait until it gets bad to try and make it better.