In every one of the jobs I’ve had (and I’ve had many), there was always a period of blah-ness before I made the decision to quit and pursue something else.
During that period of blah-ness, I was generally okay with the state of things. I wasn’t necessarily excited to get up and go to work each day, but I also wasn’t necessarily dreading it. I was just ho-hum about it, going through the motions but mentally checked out.
Some people can stay in this state for a long time. Years, even. But for us uncareerers, the inner alarm clock tends to go off pretty quickly, in part because of our constant state of introspection and reflection.
And once that alarm goes off, you wake up and realize that it’s time to get outta there. Something inside you (part conviction and part adrenaline) kicks into high gear and gives you the energy you need to no longer accept where you are and to make a drastic change.
As they say, it’s in your moment of decision that your destiny is shaped. And in order to have the courage to make that major job decision in the first place, you need ample energy.
In this article, we’ll talk about the importance of energy in uncareering, why it’s impossible to uncareer successfully without enough energy, and how to get the energy you need to make a significant shift, even if you currently feel stuck.
Why Energy Is Crucial For Successful Uncareering
Think back to the last time you made a major job shift. Maybe you finally got fed up with your boss and decided to jump ship. Maybe you wanted to find a role where you could make a bigger impact. Or maybe you decided to try a role that was more in line with your passions.
There’s a lot that goes into making a significant life change like that – overcoming fear of the unknown, plotting out the logistics of the transition, telling your friends and family, interviewing and finding a new job, and so much more.
Then, once you make the shift, there’s even more newness – the new routine (especially if a commute is involved), getting to know new coworkers, learning new systems, going through onboarding trainings, etc.
The point is, in order to even think about undergoing all of that, you need a good supply of energy available and ready to support you, because each of these things takes a significant amount of energy.
To start off, take stock of where you currently are: energy neutral, energy poor, or energy rich.
Energy Neutral
When you’re feeling ho-hum, you’re most likely in an energy neutral state. This is when you’re feeling adequate, comfortable, satisfied, and even content.
I remember back when I worked in the corporate world, I lived in an energy neutral state, quite comfortably, for about a year. Because I was working at a large company, there were many places to “hide,” so to speak.
I would take on one project, maybe two at the most (versus the six or seven projects I would work on in the consulting world), which put me at a comfortable pace.
I would get to the office around 9:30 or 10am, check my emails, maybe do a little work, then meet up with friends for a leisurely lunch. After that, maybe I’d attend a meeting, watch a training video or two, do some research, and then pack up and head home.
Sounds like a dream, right? And it was indeed a very comfortable lifestyle that sustained me for quite some time. But once that inner alarm clock went off, I realized that I was floating along in an energy neutral state.
And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to do life in an energy neutral state. I want to feel fully alive, experience all the things, and make an impact in the process.
Once I realized I was in an energy neutral state, I did everything I could to build up the energy I needed to make a shift (more on that in a moment).
When you’re energy neutral, you might feel:
- Comfortable
- Adequate
- Satisfied
- Okay
- Fine
- Content
Energy Poor
If you’re feeling listless, depressed, and stuck, without a clear path to making a shift, you might be in an energy poor state. When you’re feeling energy poor, you tend to be anxious, frustrated, and exhausted.
In one of the jobs I had while I was working in the consulting world, I had a range of big projects with clients from Fortune 500 companies. On paper, my job looked like it should have been super interesting and engaging.
In reality, I was tasked with months of mind-numbing work (including creating dozens of Powerpoint decks for onboarding trainings), which left little room for creativity and became more and more redundant and monotonous as time went on.
In this job, I was getting paid well and was working with great people, but it was a remote job (meaning my in-person connections were limited), and the work itself wasn’t exactly thrilling.
Over time, I started to dread the role. I felt stuck and unhappy, which is when I knew that I had reached an energy poor state.
When you’re energy poor, you might feel:
- Depressed
- Anxious
- Stuck
- Unhappy
- Listless
- Exhausted
Energy Rich
On the other end of the spectrum from energy poor is energy rich. When you’re energy rich, you feel inspired, joyful, excited, determined, and bold.
Energy rich is the state you need to get to in order to make a significant job or life change. When you’re energy rich, you have the energy to make changes – to find and apply to multiple jobs, to prep for interviews, to follow up with potential employers, to step outside of your comfort zone, and to brave the unknown.
The good news is that, if you’re feeling stuck in your current job, the energy you need to leave that job doesn’t necessarily need to come from the job itself. More on that in a bit.
When you’re energy rich, you might feel:
- Ecstatic
- Engaged
- Inspired
- Trusting
- Dynamic
- Grateful
- Courageous
What Energy State Are You Currently In?
Now that you have a high level view of the full energy spectrum, take a moment to feel into where you are on that spectrum. Close your eyes, put one hand on your heart, and take a deep breath.
Then ask yourself, “When it comes to my job, I’m feeling…” Then, fill in the blank with any words that come to mind – stuck, unsure, unhappy, unfulfilled, dissatisfied, okay, curious, ready for a change, etc.
Based on the words that come up, compare those to the various feelings you might experience for each of the energy states, to figure out where on the spectrum you might be – energy poor, energy neutral, or energy rich.
Figure Out Your Target Energy State
Next, without judging that energy state as “good” or “bad,” take stock of whether it’s where you want to be, or you’re ready to make a change and shift to a new energy state.
In doing this, remember that life is a moving target, and your job experience may ebb and flow along with every other part of your life.
If you’re in a phase of life where you’re focused on your newborn baby, or taking care of an elderly parent, or any other major life things, your job might not be your biggest priority right now, and that’s a-okay.
Maybe in that case, energy neutral might be your target, so your job is not the best thing in the world but also not draining you of energy while you focus on other areas of your life.
But if you’re in a phase of life where you really want to figure out how you’re going to make your mark in the world, discover your soul calling, and embark on what could be your life’s work, but you’re feeling ho-hum or energy poor, then perhaps this is your opportunity to make a significant change.
Determine Your Why
Before we get into the “how” of shifting your energy state, take a moment to discover your “why.” Why is shifting your energy state at this time not just a “should” but a “must”?
What would happen if you stayed in this current energy state for the next year? Next 5 years?
If you were able to successfully shift your energy state to your target energy state, how would your life change? How would you feel?
Perhaps you know deep down that you were put here on this planet to do much more than what you’re doing now. Perhaps you are tired of playing small and are ready to step up. Or perhaps you want to show your kids that anything is possible, so they have the courage to pursue their dreams too.
Just doing the simple step of reflecting on your why is a step in the right direction of generating the energy you need.
How To Generate The Energy You Need To Make A Major Shift
Energy is everything. When you have sufficient energy, you can do anything, and the same goes for uncareering. When you generate enough energy in your life, whether within the realm of your job and career or otherwise, you can then apply that energy to making important shifts within your career.
If you’re feeling down and out about your job right now, the good news is that you don’t have to generate energy within this realm of your life in order to make a shift. You can lean on other areas of your life – things like working out, meeting up with friends, and trying out a new hobby.
Even though these might not be directly related to your job situation, they can help raise your overall energy level, which can help you transmit some of that energy into your career or business pursuits.
Start With An Energy Audit
If you’re not sure how and where to start in terms of generating more energy in your life, begin with an energy audit. Here’s how to do an energy audit.
For one week, write down everything you do during the day and whether it gives you energy, drains your energy, or is energy neutral. This will help you start to look for trends within the activities you’re already doing.
Extra credit: To help you fine-tune this exercise even further, you can rate your energy for each activity on a scale of -5 (energy draining) to 5 (energy boosting).
Here’s a quick example:
- Morning commute: -5
- Running and morning working: 5
- Responding to emails: -1
- Preparing weekly reports: -3
- Attending team meetings: 2
- Taking painting classes: 5
- Weekly dinner with friends: 5
- Etc.
Of course, these ratings are just examples, and your ratings will be different.
By the end of the week, you should have a clear picture of the areas of your life that zap your energy and the areas that give you energy.
Optimize Your Activities To Amplify Energy
The next step, once you’ve completed an energy audit lasting at least one full week, is to see if you can optimize your current activities. See if you can make small tweaks to amplify and add more energy to your existing activities.
For example, continuing with the list from above, for your morning commute, perhaps you could bring in some of the energy from your passion for painting, by listening to a podcast about painting.
For responding to emails, maybe you could add some gamification and give yourself points for each email you respond to within a given timeframe.
And for those activities that already give you energy, maybe there are ways to further amplify the energy you’re already getting. For example, maybe in addition to a once-a-week dinner with friends, you could also do a biweekly weekend hike.
Think outside the box to come up with ways to shift and amplify your energy, to see if you can boost your overall energy scorecard.
As you do so over the course of the next few weeks, you’ll start to notice that more energy is available to you, which you can then apply to your job situation. That additional energy could help you come up with solutions you hadn’t thought of before, approach new contacts to ask for advice, or sort through job postings to potentially find your next role.
Take Your Mind Off Your Job Situation And Focus On Generating More Energy
If you’re in the middle of a job predicament or existential career crisis, it might seem counterintuitive to take your mind off the situation at hand. But, that’s exactly how you’ll find the solution and the path forward.
Rather than banging your head against the wall to figure out what to do with a job that you’re unhappy with or that’s draining your energy, take a step back and shift your focus to your energy first.
Start by doing an energy audit to see where you currently are with your energy. Are you feeling energy poor, neutral or rich? What are the areas of your life where you can optimize and amplify your energy?
And, most importantly, WHY is it so crucial for you to shift your energy so you can become more resourced in regard to your job situation? How will a significant shift in your career impact your life, your family, and your future?
As you relax the focus on your job challenges and focus instead on generating more energy in your life, you’ll likely find that the solutions and possibilities come to you much more easily. So go forth, and generate some energy!
