5 reasons you should still put your best foot forward at the job that you hate

to the person who has grown so jaded with their current job that they've considered quitting more than a few times in the past month or so, we've all been there. with any luck, you'll read something within this post that resonates with you and motivates you to make lemonade outta the lemons thrown at you at your current job. 

5). nothing lasts forever. 

sometimes, it's easy for us to get so caught up in our dislike for where we are that we forget that where we are does not have to be our final destination. regardless of the job, we have the capacity to change our situations. the problem is that most people don't believe this. they may say it aloud while in a group setting, but they really don't believe there is more out there for them than where they currently are. yet, there is so much more. use where you currently are to catapult you into your next great job, whatever that means for you. my unpopular opinion is that your job is not a marriage. you shouldn't strive to be at one job for the rest of your life. where's the growth in that? 

4). there is still something for you to learn. 

this is a hard one. many of us often feel as though we need to change jobs because we aren't "learning" but in reality, we aren't willing to be taught. there's a certain level of humility that is required of us to be able to learn from our coworkers and/or supervisors....especially if we self consciously believe that the person tasked with teaching us is under qualified and/or less capable than we are. but, the decision regarding who's qualified and who isn't is not always up to us. but our ability to learn is definitely within our jurisdiction. you never know where your next learning experience will come from, so make sure you are walking into your job with the expectation that you will learn something that you did not already know. expectation sometimes creates reality. if you're lucky, the very thing that's left for you to learn will be the essential piece of knowledge needed to take you to your next big thing.

3). there is still something for you to teach. 

whether you know it or not, you're a teacher in your chosen field. you teach people how to treat you by what you allow and what you do not tolerate. in the same token, you teach people through your actions by using your work life as a shining example of how an employee should conduct themselves. sometimes, we may feel as though we are being "held up" in one area of our life. we want to switch jobs but it has proven to be especially difficult for us to do so. it's possible that you may have learned all you needed to know, but someone has yet to learn all you have to teach them. so, walk into work with good vibes and a warm spirit because if you don't, you risk coming off as "unapproachable". how will you ever teach who you are supposed to teach if they never want to interact with you because your nonverbal communication is subpar at best?

2). you never know who knows who.

the world is so small and seems to get smaller everyday. more often than not, the journey to your next job can be guided or derailed by someone you already know. the connections are literally limitless. you may hate your job, but maybe one of your coworkers is married to someone who is in the industry you seek to break into. you may loathe your job, but you definitely shouldn't look like it. even if you really, really, really don't like your job, realize that your outer appearance can't correlate with your inward thoughts toward where you work. you could end up missing opportunities before they are even presented to you based solely off someone telling someone else that you are "hard to work with", or have a "bad" attitude and work ethic. 

1). your work ethic coincides with your character. 

how you behave at work is a reflection of your work ethic, overall level of integrity and who you are as a person. if you thought about it right now, what would your work ethic say about you to someone who didn't know you personally? remember, in the game of life, perception is everything and reality is nothing. you are only as good (or bad) as people perceive you to be. for this reason alone, you should aspire to always bring your very best to all aspects of your job. you may not see it, but your hatred toward a job does not give you the right to produce mediocre work. if anything, it should motivate you to work harder and even more efficiently so you can get to the next area of your life. so, play nicely.