There are many forces us keeping us in a state of misery that are challenging to unpack. Here are some ideas from people I’ve worked with:
- Identity: We define ourselves as workers, as someone that “doesn’t quit,” as someone that works hard
- Relationships: We are scared that people will not accept us if we step into an unknown path and don’t have answers for where we are headed
- Belonging: We don’t feel part of anything except our company or work community
- Biological: We mistake comfort for safety and try to avoid the feeling of discomfort
- Inertia: It is easier to do what we did yesterday than to imagine a different possibility
- Emotional Pressure: We want to please the people we work with and our broader network
- Financial Realities: We literally will run out of money if we don’t work for a month
- Future potential money Fears: We cannot overcome the feeling that we will always need “more” and spend a lot of time imagining the worst case scenario (“what if I get sick?” etc…)
- Time-based economic pressure: “If I stay only six more months I’ll get my next bonus”
- Meaning: We find a lot of meaning at work and are not sure what could replace it
What else would you add?
