8 Warning Signs You Are Not Doing What You Want

3 min readMar 5, 2016

If you’re struggling at work, maybe the problem isn’t you but what you are doing.

Is your to-do list getting longer as the projects you started go unfinished?

Do you make resolutions you’re unable to keep?

Are you constantly stressed out?

If the answer is yes, it’s possible that you’re not doing what you’d like to be doing. Not in the sense that you’d like to be, say, independently wealthy and living at the beach, but that there’s a fundamental breakdown between your job and your passions, your values, and the things that bring you happiness.

It can be hard sometimes to distinguish this sort of breakdown from the normal ups and downs we all experience.

So how do you know?

Here are eight signs to look for.

1. You complain.

A lot. Everyone complains occasionally, but are you doing more than your share? If it’s been going on for a while, you may not even hear yourself anymore. Stop and really listen to your words, or ask someone you trust to let you know.

2. You’re always procrastinating.

If important projects sit untouched while you take care of insignificant details, or if you find yourself doing everything at the last minute (and not very well), maybe your procrastination is telling you something.

3. You waste time.

You may start out the day with the best of intentions, but by the time you go home you’re not even sure where the day went. Time is the most valuable resource because it can’t be replaced. If you’re throwing yours away just getting by, you may need a change.

4. You make excuses.

When you don’t have results, the easy thing to do is turn to excuses. Saying — or even thinking — that other people or circumstances are to blame for your performance may be covering up a difficult truth.

5. You have little to no motivation.

You’re slow to start and quick to give up, and you arrive later and leave earlier. It may be harder to even get out of bed in the morning.

6. You’re constantly stressed.

Some stress is normal for most of us. But when stress is unrelenting, and especially when it comes not from deadlines or other external sources but from overthinking or worry, this is a real problem.

7. You feel uninspired.

Even in the most difficult times, a little spark of creativity or passion can be enough to keep most of us going, and in good times, it can lead to great things. But if you’re lacking that spark, work is a joyless trudge through the day.

8. You’re mired in negativity.

Nothing is more distracting from goals, your dreams, and your future than a negative attitude, especially when it’s your own. How often do you say or think: can’t, won’t, shouldn’t?

At the end of the day, if you’re not doing what you want to do, you have to realize that your life and gifts are too important to waste on something you aren’t passionate about.

The best way to re-energize yourself is to make a plan to put yourself on the path where you belong. Especially if you’ve invested a lot in your current career, a change can be a daunting thought, so if you can’t quite throw in the towel entirely just yet, there are still things you can do. Start planning your retirement business, or find a side project, service opportunity, or hobby that will help get you up back to yourself.

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