{"id":1263,"date":"2017-04-21T14:21:20","date_gmt":"2017-04-21T22:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.checkworks.com\/blog\/?p=1263"},"modified":"2017-04-21T14:21:20","modified_gmt":"2017-04-21T22:21:20","slug":"10-danger-signs-you-are-in-the-wrong-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/10-danger-signs-you-are-in-the-wrong-career\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Danger Signs You Are in the Wrong Career"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By MJ Plaster<\/p>\n

Cue the ambulance sirens: Your health could be in peril if you dread Monday mornings. Heart attacks occur on Mondays more than any other day of the week. According to Dr. Stephen Sinatra, they most often strike between the hours of 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. While correlation doesn\u2019t necessarily equate to causation, a huge leap isn\u2019t required to make the connection between the start of a new workweek and the higher incidence of heart attacks.<\/p>\n

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If you can barely drag yourself out of bed at the start of the week, you could be in the wrong industry. If you\u2019ve held multiple jobs in the same field with the danger signs listed below, you could be on an incorrect career path. If those same signs apply only to your current position, the problem is more likely your company or your position rather than your career choice. The earlier you figure out the difference, the better.<\/p>\n

1. You Lack Passion for Your Industry<\/strong>
\nYou\u2019ve climbed your way into a middle-management position, but you\u2019re still not enjoying your job. That\u2019s a flashing neon sign that you\u2019ve drifted off course. Even if you\u2019re happy with your income and enjoy the perks, something is wrong.<\/p>\n

When the missing ingredient is drive, motivation or passion, and those qualities have been lacking in several jobs you\u2019ve held, it\u2019s time to rethink your chosen career path. Forget what you\u2019ve heard about not doing what you love. Successful people love their work and they\u2019re outstanding in their fields. If you have a primal passion, figure out how to develop it into your life\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

2. You\u2019re Bored or Apathetic<\/strong>
\nBoredom and apathy are flip sides of the same coin. Both lead to underperformance, a hazard to your career as well as to your current position. You\u2019ll be the first to go; if, by some miracle, you\u2019re allowed to stay, don\u2019t expect to advance. When promotions slip your grasp, your boredom and apathy will grow, until one Monday morning\u2026 (Hint:You don\u2019t want to finish that sentence.)<\/p>\n

3. You Feel No Sense of Purpose<\/strong>
\nWhat if you\u2019re making boatloads of money and the job leaves you cold? The culprit could be the absence of a sense of purpose, something we all need to thrive. In the 1990s, I was making inordinate amounts of money writing user documentation and help files and teaching others to do the same. Almost every day, I said to anyone who would listen, \u201cWhy am I doing this? No one reads this stuff!\u201d The lure of the money served as golden handcuffs to keep me chained long past my expiration date. I finally retrieved the key, unlocked the cuffs and moved on to more purposeful work.<\/p>\n

4. Your Job Represents (False) Security<\/strong>
\nMoney is not the only pair of golden handcuffs\u2014a sense of security binds the hands even more tightly. If your current path is nothing more than \u201csomething to fall back on,\u201d your soul will eventually suffocate under the weight of your work.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, a new challenge in the same field is the right prescription. Other times, going in a new direction can lead to incredible success. Once you shed the false notion of security, you free yourself to look for opportunities rather than settling for crumbs.<\/p>\n

5. You Have a Persistent Negative Attitude<\/strong>
\nDo you find yourself complaining about work on and off the job to everyone who crosses your path? Constant whining creates a bad atmosphere at work and at home. Once colleagues tire of your act, you can begin to drive away family and friends and take a passive-aggressive turn. When your negative outlook finally costs your job, whose shoulder will be left to cry on?<\/p>\n

Before you decide the job or an unsuitable career path is the guilty party, take a long, hard look at yourself. It\u2019s easy for negativity to snowball, but you can reverse it if you want. Once you change your mindset, you might decide to stick with your chosen career\u2014or not. Either way, your chance of making a rational decision increases when you free yourself from mental and emotional stress.<\/p>\n

6. You Lack Energy and Focus<\/strong>
\nLack of energy has many root causes such as an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, fitful sleep, etc. If diet and exercise aren\u2019t the causes, and the mere thought of work drains the energy from your body, it\u2019s time to explore a couple of things:<\/p>\n