Like O.J. Simpson at his trial, sometimes no matter how persistent you are to make the glove fit, your work just doesn’t fit you.

In a tough economic environment, it’s scary thinking of making major industry changes, (i.e. from a preschool teacher to a nurse), let alone changing jobs in your same field (i.e. from a piano teacher for kids to a piano teacher for adults). If you’re not in pain right now over your job and don’t have financial resources to be out of work for at least six months, I recommend you hold tight where you are until your finances will be supportive for a period of transition, you do know what you want, have the skills and talents to bring to the work, and have developed sufficient contacts to help get you the work.

But in the meantime, it’s time to find out why your job isn’t a fit for you and see if you can’t infuse it with new energy and interest to stay or begin the research process for a job change. Some key questions so you can make a list of your responses and begin to formulate a clear plan for your future action steps:

1. Was your job ever a fit for you? What are the best, the worst and the so-so parts for you?
2. Have you ever had some of the same positives (from #1) in other work you’ve done?
3. What specifically has changed and what can you be responsible for to improve your situation?

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It’s easy, not having my own children, to sometimes feel as if I missed the parenting boat. All I have to do is look into the face of one sweet baby, and I could be swept away. It can spiral me into what’s missing—and in the past it may have—but it doesn’t anymore. Instead I focus on the amazing gift of the moment with the child and how fortunate my husband and I are to have time and energy to spend with our many nieces and nephews.

Reflecting on this has me ask how many things we tend to dwell on that we can’t have for various reasons and may actually prefer not to.   i.e. why didn’t you get that new business deal (when in truth you wouldn’t have time now to devote to it), or get that promotion (with it’s additional responsibilities), or make that new career connection (when you haven’t revised your resume in months), etc.

Take a look at your life and see if you hold regrets or disappointments, rather than use them as times to reflect on what you do have OR to use them as firestarters to get you in action.  For example: