Many New Year’s resolutions are short lived, as the surge of new gym members lose interest and the smokers, well, carry on smoking. Others, though, see the New Year as an opportunity to make some life changes and better themselves. What better way to do so than seek out the career you have always wanted?
There’s no doubt that this is a big step for anyone thinking about leaving their current job, especially if it’s to start your own business. It’s easy to slip into a routine and remain in a job for years and years, allowing your dreams of starting your own venture pass by. To prevent this from happening, here are some of the signs to look out for.
1. Your Motivation Has Plummeted
Not everyone enjoys their job. It’s even fair to say that a relatively large percentage of people don’t, but a distinct lack of motivation in the workplace is something to take note of and an indication that it’s time for a change.
A career change is much more than a new setting and daily routine. You’ll have to take on the challenges and overcome the obstacles that come with your new environment and responsibilities. For many people these days, their choice is to start their own business, which in itself is a bold and challenging task.
Working for yourself, knowing that you’re the boss and having to work extra hard to get a new venture off the ground are all reasons why starting your own business instils a new-found level of self-motivation. It won’t be easy, but if it were, everyone would be doing it.
2. Minimal Creative Freedom
Every industry requires creativity to progress and create anything of worth. Without creativity, everything around us would fail to evolve and become incredibly boring. The same can be said for your career. Without the freedom to be creative, you won’t have room to enhance your skills and knowledge, and therefore become bored with what you do on a day-to-day basis.
If your job has begun to offer little or no creative possibilities, to begrudgingly stick with it would be a waste of your potential. By seeking out work that will provide you with the platform to express yourself creatively, it will lead to new opportunities and help you develop as a professional in your industry.
Leaving a regular job to start your own business is probably the biggest form of creative freedom you can provide yourself with.
3. You Want to Increase Your Earning Power
If you ask someone if they would like to be earning more money, there will only be one answer. It’s a no-brainer. But doing something about it is a step that people are reluctant to do. Whether it’s feeling secure in their current job or a fear of failure, the dream of earning more can often remain just that: a dream.
If you feel like you could or should be earning more, it’s up to you to go out and do it. For many people, their step up to a higher earning power is starting their own business. If you have the knowledge and ability to become a leader in your chosen field, now is the time to take on the challenge.
Small businesses are at the forefront of the modern business world, and with that comes massive earning potential. Making a move from employee to the employer will not only change your current financial situation, but set you up for life as the owner of a business. Being the boss means more responsibility, more decisions to be made and definitely some late nights, but your earning power will be in your own hands. You get out what you put in.
4. Issues in the Workplace
You can choose your friends but not your family — and unfortunately, you can’t choose your colleagues either. Just because you have to work with people on a daily basis as part of a team, it doesn’t mean you have to like them. No matter how hard you try to get along with co-workers, there’s always the possibility of issues and hostility.
Although your day-to-day tasks in the workplace will occasionally cause some stress, it’s still a place where you should feel comfortable and relaxed enough to work efficiently. Any issues with colleagues or a boss that causes you problems at work can have a huge effect on your ability to perform to the best of your ability.
You’ll also find that these sort of problems tend to come home with you, affecting your personal life and your overall happiness. A new job with new faces around you will be an ideal way to leave all of those issues behind.
5. You Want to Take on a New Challenge
Learning new skills, achieving personal and professional goals, and challenging yourself on a daily basis are just a few of the characteristics of a worthwhile career choice. If you’ve found that you’re no longer benefitting from your current line of work (aside from the income), maybe it’s time to look elsewhere.
You may have found that the industry you work in no longer interests you and that a fresh start and a new challenge is needed. If you aren’t moving in the direction that you feel is right for you, making a change is the best thing to do. It can be difficult to build up the courage to leave any job, but the regret of what could have been is a whole lot worse.
Many people have the dream of starting their own business, but for one reason or another, it doesn’t materialise. If you have dreams of becoming a business owner and feel you’re ready to move on from your current line of work, creating your own company from scratch is a challenge you’ll relish.
If you’ve been considering a career change then there’s no time like the present, if you can relate to the points mentioned above then maybe that change is long overdue. Not only will a career change allow you to distance yourself from issues that have troubled you in your current workplace, but also present you with new and exciting opportunities. If this opportunity is starting a business then it’s safe to say that 2017 is going to be a very busy year for you.
