How to learn from the annoyances in your life

As I look backward in my life, I can find many times (and people) that annoyed me. I’m talking about those times when life hits you hard with something you really don’t want.

Perhaps a person in your life makes it really hard to face the day. You want to crawl under the covers or run away. It is worse when the irritation is tied to your work. You get to the point when you don’t want to go to work.

Is it time to change your job?

It would be great if there was a handy meter to tell you that this is a big annoyance and not one of those “this too will pass” moments. We all have those rough days when everything is bugging us and we really don’t know the cause.

Sometimes that is a sign that we need more sleep, need to slow down, or even need to eat. My measure is if something doesn’t stop bothering me within a week, I need to consider if there is something I need to change in my life.

There will be people who you meet that you cannot and will not please. You are their target, it makes them feel like the big man on campus when they put you down.

You get slammed by this person no matter what you do or how hard you try. I see this as a signal. You can keep trying and trying but they aren’t going away and you will keep feeling defeated. This is when you have to ask yourself, “Why am I staying at this job?”

Put a plan in place before you move

The years I have spent in the career industry have taught me that when someone starts working on a plan, it helps them face their problems. This is when you start working on your resume, improving your LinkedIn profile, and looking for new opportunities.

Don’t let anyone know you are looking at work

You may not end up moving for a while but if you spread the word that you are on a hunt, you may get an early departure notice and that will make things harder.

The process also makes you take a closer look at what I call your resume story. Start recognizing the contributions you have made. When you get annoyed, it is hard to do this but one exercise that might be helpful is to write your own job description. Brainstorm everything you do.

While this is a duties focus, you can then go back and quantify and qualify that job description with your success stories. Take the time to figure out your contributions. It will make you ready to write your resume. Become better at telling your story to prepare when your next job interview comes along. Hint – this has the added benefit of making you feel better about yourself!

This is what I do with my clients in the live writing process. I find their resume stories and capture them in their resume. When a client who has struggled with going to work in the morning sees their true value, they feel better about themselves. The annoyances didn’t win, they did!

Ready for career happiness? Sign up to read More Free Posts Like This One!

Land your dream job! A pioneer of unique style of resume writing services, I use interactive live writing and coaching to capture your best value. Together we position you for success in your resume and LinkedIn, while coaching you on best job search strategies. Learn more here

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net