5 Things To Consider Before You Quit
It used to be the case that a job is something that workers
exchange their labor in return for money that’ll put food into their mouth. In
the present time though, more and more people are looking beyond the
fulfillment of their financial needs to satisfy other important aspects of
their lives, such as health, friendship and achievement.
The truth is that while some of the workers can achieve
their important needs while doing the work, some may rather failed miserably in
pursuing their ideal life. In this case, the best solution is to consider quitting
the current job that only feeds you with food and sadness. There will be
several things to consider before you make this hard decision:
First Of All: Why Should You Quit?
The question should be, when should you quit your job? Surely,
you don’t just quit one because you don’t like some parts of the job (who
doesn’t!). Every job has its issues, so it is important to balance the
pros and cons before you make that decision.
For most of us, the primary reason for working is to pay our
bills and survive. That’s legitimate. But do not forget that there might be a
better job out there with an environment that you are more comfortable with,
and yet still be able to sustain your lifestyle.
Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs
Abraham
Maslow in 1943 –Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs. For those of you unfamiliar with this theory, it is
essentially a pyramidal hierarchical model of human needs.
As human, we all are motivated to satisfy certain needs at
different stages. Maslow believes that we will first strive to meet our most
fundamental physiological needs. Only after we attain that will we actually
move up the pyramid and try to reach for other goals such as safety, love
and belonging, esteem and finally at the top, self-actualization.
Since our jobs take up a significant part of our
lives, it is befitting to base the decision to leave or not leave the job on how
much it can take us to reach to the pyramid’s top.
I guess you can say that this is an unorthodox manner of
assessing whether to quit your job and seek a new path. However, my intention
is to bring a new approach to the whole process so that people who
are considering can look at it in a different perspective. In this case, I
raised questions about whether your current jobs can meet your most crucial
needs as a human being.
1. Physiological Needs: Sleep
One physiological need that we often neglect is sleep. It’s
not uncommon to have inadequate amount of sleep when we are rushing a project
or clearing backlogs from work. But if we do it too regularly without respite,
it will not onlywreak havoc in your work, but also your personal life.
Difficulty in concentration and being easily irritated are two common symptoms.
Ultimately, the sleep debt will catch up to you and manifest itself
in ugly ways.
In any case, so long as you say with all honesty that sleep
isn’t affecting you too greatly, then it is probably alright. But if the lack
of sleep becomes a chronic problem in your work, this might be an issue you
would need to consider to find out if the job is suitable for you in the
long run.
2. Safety Needs: Financial security
I’m sure that all jobs can make us feel secure financially; some of us work so that we can get some income at the very least. I guess the question here refers to the more extreme cases of whether this particular job allows you to get by everyday without having to starve or having to live on the streets.
This is very important because if you don’t even earn enough
for a living, chances are that you wouldn’t care about higher needs until you
fulfill this first, and sadness kicks in when the job doesn’t bring you
anything but food. So for every job, you have to ensure that you earn more
than enough to not only feed yourself, but also enable you to pursue
higher needs, or simply save the money to avoid financial crisis.
3. Love and Belonging: Work Culture
How much do you fit in with the vision and values of your
workplace? Do you click well with your colleagues and boss? These are the
questions that you’ll ask yourself to determine if your social need to be
achieved and belongingness is met. Sure, you can get by without feeling
connected with the organization, but it might be hard to thrive if you lack the
trust to work together as a team.
Some people may argue that they can still do their work well
even if they are being hated by everyone else in the office. Well, that may be
so, but they would’ve to find love and belonging outside of work. These could
be their families and friends who support them. Or, in the worst case scenario,
one might turn to using Facebook at the workplace to satisfy such need!
However, in my opinion, the workplace is gradually
transforming into a place where solitude is likely to be frowned upon. Almost
all jobs require contact with other people, and most jobs these days emphasize
on teamwork.
So, ask yourself would the incompatible work culture be an
issue and limit your potential to search for other needs up the pyramid?
4. Esteem: Respect & Achievements
According to the pyramid, it is not enough to gain
self-esteem through achievements and confidence; you need also to respect
others and earn others’ respect. A shrewd executive may have backstabbed
several colleagues in order to climb up the corporate ladder, but he or she
would not gain that self-respect, and definitely not respect from others.
In other words, this is how good you feel yourself to be in
this job. First, you would need a supportive environment where you feel
loved and belongedbefore you can be respected for your work.
Second, you need to have a job that empowers you to
achieve and build the confidence within you. Interestingly, you will also be
humble enough to respect others. Only then will you be able to reach this level
of self-esteem. Respect for none other than you is an inflated ego.
Does this job give you opportunities to expand yourself and
build up a healthy self-esteem at the same time? You would also need to ask
yourself if you will eventually be good at what you do at work.
5. Self-Actualization: Doing What You Love
Ultimately, this is what Maslow refers to as the key to
happiness in life. This is the final stage where one would feel the ultimate
life satisfaction and will be able to realize one’s potential at work.
According to him, this is a rare occasion; less than 1% of adults actually
attain this level of enlightenment.
If you manage to fulfill all the other lower level needs
except for this one, then it is at the point in time that you have to consider where
your passion lies in life. Given that you have a job that provides you
enough money, good social relationships, personal achievements and respect from
others, you need to find what you are meant to do. All of us are good at
something, but do you love what it is that you do?
Once you found your passion, you can then decide if it is
viable to quit your job and switch to where your inclination lies and dedicate
yourself in that career. You must consider that the needs from the lower
levels remain to be met after the shift, lest the new job hinder your path
to the top of the pyramid. Remember that each lower level needs have to be
fulfilled before the higher level ones can be sought. That is the tricky part.
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Thank you Dianna for sharing this very timely article.
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