Job satisfaction: Is your ladder up against the right wall?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you in your work? Do you get job satisfaction from the rewards your work brings? Do you do it well, almost effortlessly? Or is it a constant frustrating struggle?

These are very important questions you must ask yourself when assessing your job satisfaction. If your work isn’t pressing your buttons the way it should be, then it will likely hinder your learning and performance, both in and out of work.

When I graduated from University I fumbled my way through a few jobs, feeling very frustrated with my own performance and not gaining any job satisfaction. I always knew that I could provide so much more value to people, if I could only find the right line of work.

After reading Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People some words on the page jumped out and struck a chord. It said something like, ‘it’s easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life, trying to climb the ladder of success, only to find that when you get nearer the top it’s up against the wrong wall.’

It immediately became obvious that my ladder was up against the wrong wall.

I'd been working in market research for three years and knew I could serve other people to the full in so many other ways. So I quit, took some time out to travel and made it my mission to return home knowing with a high degree of certainty my ideal career direction.

This involved plenty of thought and research, but it was well worth it. I focused on the fact you tend to enjoy what you’re good at and you tend to be good at what you enjoy. The end resulted saw me starting my current business.

In the last five years of working for myself, I have found that as long as you can consistently provide enough value to enough people doing what you love, quickly and effectively at a price that they perceive to be less than the value they will gain, then you can make a very enjoyable and rewarding living.

Working out how to make money doing what I love has given me the ultimate foundation, one that I believe should come before everything else in your work. Without this foundation, the same problems and obstacles will hit you again and again. Drive, motivation, persistence, focus, enjoyment, customer management and your overall results are all limited when you’re in the wrong job. And when you’re in the wrong job, you’re probably not in it for the long haul.

If you have low job satisfaction and you feel that your ladder is not up against the right wall, then you might want to look into this. Sometimes it only takes a few adjustments. Sometimes it takes a complete career change. Whichever it is, once you’ve done it, you can then learn how to climb it, and even better – learn how to climb it fast.

Mark Moore is the Director of Excelerated Performance International. He helps people to close the skills and knowledge gaps that they face, much faster, and manage themselves more effectively in order to achieve their business goals.

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Hi Mark - love this article! I get the feeling that a lot of soloists start out, find things a lot tougher than they expected and give up by getting a 'real' job, when all they had to do was step back, rethink and perhaps move their ladder a little. Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
It must be horrible to be in a job you don't like. I guess I have been there. It is demoralising, and exhausting. I am lucky, as motherhood allowed me the space and time to review my options. I went right back to my childhood, reflecting on what I really like to do. I can talk non stop, I love to write, I enjoy problem solving, and the days when maths was given out as a punishment - what joy!! It took a while to work out how to bake all the ingredients ~ and I think I am almost there ~ a great feeling. Heather Smith from Brisbane
Just remember that it's never too late to make the jump, whatever your age. Sitting in a job, being docile and obedient, when your soul is crying out that you could do it better than they, and time is passing, and you haven't tried everything yet is silly. You might not end up as rich moneywise, but your life will be infinitely richer, broader, and a lot more fun if you give working for yourself a whirl. Sue from Eureka, NZ
I love my casual work and I also love being a solo business owner. The best thing I've ever done was starting our holiday house business AND staying on the books at my regular casual employment. Best of both worlds! Jan Bell from Ocean Grove, Victoria
I was fooled into believing that a permanent job was the best position to be in.
I left my full time job after a year of abuse from an immature, arrogant old man who masqueraded as the company boss and promptly fell in a heap from exhaustion after I'd resigned.
I used my termination pay to get a security qualification and license (all up $1600). I am not only free from harassment and discrimination, I am also free to concentrate on my goal of owning a business, my ladder being firmly against the wall that bridges to the one I want to eventually be on top of.
Honestly, life is far too short to wallow in a job that does not satisfy you. Tamsin from Brisbane
I wonder how many people read this who are unhappy at work and are considering 'flying solo'? Mark Moore from Coolum Beach | Read my articles

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