Stuck in a job you dislike?
John Bristow • March 6, 2020
The fear of the unknown keeps us stuck.
Many of you will go to work this week and continue to do a job you dislike. You will make excuses such as "I don't know anything else", "I'm too old" or the old classic "I'm just not good enough". However, these are just things that we tell ourselves because we fear the unknown. Uncertainty causes us more stress than being sure of what will happen. So instead of stepping into the unknown, we stay with what we know.
A study funded by the medical research council found that people had a higher stress response to not knowing that they were going to get a small shock, compared to when they knew for sure.
(https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2016/mar/uncertainty-can-cause-more-stress-inevitable-pain)
And this is why we tend not to step out of our comfort zone, even if that zone is not that comfortable! We like to know where we stand. Well our brain does, that way it feels "safe". "KEEP ME HERE" it screams silently, because the unknown is oh so scary.
So what can we do? - We can learn to embrace the unknown and lean into fear. Even when it feels so alien to do so.
What would it feel like to take the plunge and go to evening classes to learn something new? To write a CV and send it out regardless of whether or not you feel good enough? To think about being in a relationship that is healthy and nurturing?
Trust me when I tell you, you ARE worth it, and you CAN do it. (even when your brain tells you you can't)
All of us have within us the capacity to grow and change, to become a different version of ourselves. Don't let the fear of the unknown hold you back - It's your brain tricking you, take control of your life, take control of yourself. One small fear at a time.
you CAN find jobs you will be happier in, You CAN have good people in your life, you just might not know that they exist yet!