Identifying the Next Best Move - Moving Forward from a Toxic Career Path

One of the scariest things a person can do in the journey of finding their purpose is giving up common workplace philosophy.

I have grown to admire my father's courage for taking the responsibility to engage daily in an environment that was less than pleasing for the sake of keeping the family together. No matter how bad the day has been he still mustered up the courage to stay with the same company for over fifteen years. Although, I have come to realize that most of the things my father had complained about were quite common nuances that just come with a workplace... I heard the masses of my coworkers in various positions complain about these same things on repeat. But, what about the people that didn't have this common negative work routine? I recognized that the people who did not have these same thoughts about their job seemed to be the most fulfilled.

I'd like to take a moment to share my experience dealing with the process moving away from a soul-sucking toxic workplace onto a better, healthier, career path.

Personally, I had come to realize that the environment I work in makes the most difference to my happiness. This was such a simple concept; I was surprised that I had overlooked it for so long. It was never about the 'genre' of work I was in; it almost always narrowed down to the people I found myself around and how they portrayed the surrounding environment. I will admit, the treacherous waters of uncertainty that come with searching for a true purpose in life have always been a risky place.

It turns out that I had been ignoring my happiness in favor of being comfortable.

This is what I realized...

“I had been passing up opportunities in hopes of advancing my current level of comfortability.”

Why did I decide I needed to make a change?

I found I was seemingly ignoring my health due to the fact that I had placed so much emotional involvement in something that was no longer fulfilling to me. I was allowing a negative workplace to become a distraction to my everyday life.

When did I realize this?

My final realization of this was when I no longer found that I could be productive in such a toxic workplace. The work didn't fulfill me. My co-workers didn't feel fulfilled. Workplace morale had decreased. My boss began bringing his personal life into the office and exhibiting multiple states of mood & management had become a routine countdown of exploding obscenities which led co-workers to embark in very anxious behavior.

What am I doing to move forward?

1. I stopped thinking about how ex-co-workers may judge me for leaving.
2. I've earned to embrace uncertainty as a tool for advancement.
3. I've realized a foundation for a truly enjoyable living can not be hinged on your career alone.
4. I've gained confidence that a better-suited environment is out there.
5. I've recognized my self-worth and what I truly have to offer on my new career path

After removing all of the negative thoughts of self-doubt I realized that the current position I had used as my baseline would never be a correct indicator of my success in a different job scenario.

We all need an income, we all need to envelop social skills, and we all need a chance to enjoy ourselves. If you aren't finding yourself fulfilled in your current situation; I urge you to strive to find your passion in life. After all, we are all only getting older so what do we have to lose but time?

What should you take away from all of this?

“Don't allow yourself to become stuck in an environment that you do not love...the environment you've been waiting for will exhibit your passions to the right people. "