Image by: Mark Hyre
By Todd Downey

In life, unless we have inherited money from any deceased ancestors or are by some fluke of nature just extremely lucky, we have to work. Working can include anything from physical labor, to billing and coding, to managing or entrepreneurship, to (like myself) sitting for hours behind a computer screen using your extremities to rack in the doe.

No matter what path you have taken or plan on taking in this life, you will likely fall into one of these categories.

So what happens when you plummet into sitting behind a computer screen for hours on end and you’re the type of person who is a C student alpha male who indulged in physical festivities all his life? Well, unless you are really good at adapting, you may find yourself fatigued, dispassionate and miserable (unless the pay is really good, of course).

So why not avoid all the nonsense and get a job that you actually enjoy!? Sounds easy, but the problem with that is not all of us can have the luxury to choose where we work. But to those of us who do, or have the dedication to work towards that goal, you may want to use this to your advantage and foster your energy into finding a more suitable job.

Here are a few reasons as to why and how the quality of your life will greatly improve once making that crucial change in workplace.

#1) Less Stress

Stress is one of the biggest factors a person must inevitably deal with with working any job at all, let alone one that you despise. So why bother handling unnecessary stress when you can just cast it aside by aspiring to a more suitable job? Key word: aspiring.

As stated above, not all of us have the luxury of choosing our sources of income.  Sitting down and devising a comprehensive plan as to how you can maneuver yourself into a position that blends well with your colors will give you that sense of progress we all (well, most of us) yearn for.  It will also keep your hair from going gray prematurely from the stress of being stagnant.

And if you think stress isn’t a good enough reason to consider upgrading, then please keep this in mind. According to a review essay in the Dec. 2007 issue of the association for Psychological Science’s magazine Observer, stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart, and can also make you more susceptible to illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer. Doesn’t sound to pleasant, does it?

#2) More Enthusiasm

It’s bad enough dragging yourself out of bed at 6am every single day, force-feeding, and hauling ass to work. But if you compound that with mundane tasks that you hold no interest in whatsoever, then you will likely trudge throughout your days like a banana slug under a desert sun. Resulting in seeing little advancements and even smaller recognition from colleagues.

Who wants to be enthusiastic about something they don’t care about? Yes, you have your annual wage invested into it, but by only exuding the required effort at whatever unfit job you happen to be working, you are limiting both yourself and the company you work for.

On the flip side, imagine if you were to jump out of bed with vigor in your steps, devour breakfast like it was your final meal, and weave your way through traffic like a character off of Too Fast Too Furious. Yea, it would probably be virtually impossible to keep that charade going on a consistent basis, but I can assure you that you’ll have a much better shot at that being the case if you were to fulfilling your passions in life.

#3) More Confidence In Yourself

It’s a given that during the few times out the year when you engage in your intense bouts of self-reflection, that you will probably look down on yourself if you have aspirations to be an astronaut, scientist, or writer and you’re stuck flipping burgers or mopping floors. You may not admit it to others, but your lack of satisfaction in life will show in your level of confidence. The happier a person is the more confident they are.

If all your life you’ve been adding to your model car collection, playing racing games, and watching NASCAR, I can assume you will be very pleased with a career as an automotive tech compared to mowing lawns or doing maintenance.

Fulfilling your dreams and doing what you want to do in life will boost your confidence, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean its okay to complain in the meantime. Everybody who has reached a certain point in their professional careers had to start somewhere doing something they “don’t like.”

In order to progress to the level they have reached–perhaps senior manager, CEO, owner ect.–they most likely needed to have that confidence in the first place. So even if you’re struggling to cope with your full-timer, knowing that your future is bright and that you are taking steps in the direction of your desired career will leave you with a feeling of reassurance that will reflect in your demeanor, leaving you happy,  and stress free!

Have you started from the bottom and landed on top of your dream company while simultaneously bringing in the big bucks and fulfilling your passions? That’s great, pal! If you’re up to it how about you share your story below!