Do you ever wake up and ask yourself if you’re in the right job? Do you ever think to yourself, is this it? Is there not something better for me? If you do, you might feel like you’re the only one. But trust me – you are not on your own.

In the Career 101 series so far, we’ve talked about thinking big, not knowing what to do and celebrating how far you’ve come.

When we’re set on what we want to do for a career, we think the job of our dreams might appear in front of us as if by magic. But once we experience the world and all the opportunities that may or may not come our way, it can become much harder to find the job we want the most. What do you do? Start one you don’t really enjoy but gives you a decent wage? Or wait, hope and pray for the right one to come along? Well, I can safely say, dear readers, that I’ve been in this exact position. So for anyone who’s job hunting and is losing motivation, or is in a job that’s not fulfilling them, here’s some advice we can both learn from along the way. And to make your day even better, there's even a lovely download for you at the end of this post.

Start something anyway

I get it. Honestly I do. You want your dream job. You don’t want to do something you don’t really enjoy when you could be looking for the perfect role. But sometimes, you’ve got to do something. We’re made to think that our ideal job will just appear and that’ll be it. If you’re in your career right now, you’ll know as well as I do that it doesn’t work that way. If you’re applying for the dream job but only getting rejections, try applying for something similar to where you eventually want to end up. You might not enjoy it as much, but at least you’ll be practising your skills, getting experience and making money.

The job I’m in right now? Of course it’s not my dream job. But it’s keeping me going for now. It’s really important to have an open mind. Stay open to new opportunities, connections and ideas. You never know where something might take you one day.

Keep looking

It’s easy, when you get a job, to get stuck in a rut. You’re earning, things are going okay – there’s no rush to change. But you’ll end up staying there. A year will have passed and you won’t have done anything about it. I know people in good jobs who still keep their eye out for other opportunities – there’s absolutely no harm in that. It’s better to be in a role that’s not your dream job, whilst looking for a different path, rather than to be unemployed looking for work.

I know how bad it can be when you hate your job – trust me. And I know a lot of this is easier said than done. But you can take comfort in the fact that I’ve been there. I’m there with you right now. Always keep an eye out. You could be mindlessly looking one day and stumble across the job you’re meant to get.

Take no notice of motivational quotes

“Love your job and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”, “carve your own path” – you know the phrases I mean. I know they’re supposed to be inspiring and motivational but sometimes, they’re just not. Of course I want to be in a job I love. Of course I want to create my own freelance business. But it’s not a matter of wanting to – it’s about how do I actually do that?

I’ll be honest – I don’t believe it when someone says ‘create your own job’. It’s not that I’m pessimistic. Far from it actually. But what I am is realistic. How likely is it that you can email a company and say, “You need this job. I can do it for you.” You have to make an impression. You have to show what you can do first.

My mum always says to me, “if it were easy, then everyone would do it.” And it’s true. So I’d say stay away from all the quotes you see telling you to do what you love. You know that anyway. In my weekly newsletter, I always use quotes that can be put into practice – that way they’re more relatable and achievable. It’s quotes like those that deserve the most attention.

Don’t give up

Whatever you’re doing, however hard it is, and no matter how down it gets you – don’t give up. Please don’t. You’ve got to keep believing. Believe that there is always a way to make things better. You are doing this for yourself, so you want to make a life that’s the best it can be. You can always do something to help yourself. We have to go through the rough times. I truly believe that one day I’ll wake up and be really happy to start work. For now, it’s about making the most of the place I’m in currently, and that’s what you need to do to. Keep pushing forward and one day, you’ll look back and know it was all worth it.

I know how hard it can be to stay motivated. So each month, I'm going to create a free downloadable desktop wallpaper for you. By clicking on the link under the image you'll be able to download this month's. It's all about living intentionally - keeping this on your screen at work will remind you just how special your life really is.