Not so long ago, when you got a job, you had a career. You stayed in the same company for half a century gradually moving up the ranks. That was the career.  The turnover was a fraction of what it is today. Nowadays changing companies is commonplace.  An average worker would be expected to change jobs multiple times in a ten year period.  Changing jobs is not frowned upon anymore

Yet many people still end up settling with average, uninspiring jobs and tend to forget that they actually don’t like them. Maybe they’re afraid of not finding another job or that they will never do better than what they have now.

There are many reasons why you might choose to stay in a career that you don’t enjoy. Fear, lack of confidence, or willingness to accept the status quo are all reasons you might stay in an unfulfilling job.

But beware of lying to yourself about the reason for staying. Here are ten lies that could be stopping you from finding your dream job.

“I will only stay for another year.”  We’ve all said this at some point. But all too often that year can turn into 5 or 10. Sometimes more. Don’t put off the inevitable. If you know it’s not the right career, make that change now!

“I went to college for this.” Just because you got a degree in History doesn’t mean you should suffer through a boring and meaningless career. There is no reason why you can’t become a project manager, a photographer, a life coach.  Whatever your passion is.  More than 70% of people in the workforce don’t work in a field related to their college degree. FACT.

“There are no jobs out there.” There are. A company will always make room for a talented person such as yourself.  If you think you can’t find a job you need to look harder. Finding jobs can be a full time job in itself!

“The pay is too good to leave.” Don’t believe this. You have a choice. Keep the money and remain unhappy or live life of experiences doing something you love. Money can’t buy the latter. Which would you go for? It’s no brainer.

“I don’t know how to start over.” This is a valid concern. Any people fear that if they don’t find a job in a similar field they will end up with nothing. But being burned out in a dead-end career will slowly drain the energy and passion from you. Starting on a new career path, regardless of your age, may be exactly what you need.

“My company needs me too much.” Sadly. No it doesn’t. If you stopped making it money your job would cease to exist. FACT. It doesn’t matter how specialized your knowledge is or how integral you think you are the bottom line is money. You make the company more money than you earn. If this stopped the company would no longer employ you…otherwise they would be making a loss.

“I’m not too unhappy.” Millions of people tell themselves that “everyone hates their jobs” or “there are worse careers.” Do not let yourself fall victim to this lie! We will spend upwards of 90,000 hours of our lives working and it should be doing something we are passionate about! Something we love.

“I’m too old to start a new career.” Age is just a number. And you only have one life. As long as you are still willing to learn and reach out of your comfort zone there is nothing stopping you. “Too old” is a fiction and a lame excuse.

“I’ve put too much time into my career.” The time you have spent in your old job should not be a limiting factor in searching for pastures new. There’s an old proverb, “don’t throw good money after bad.” The same holds true for your years. GO FOR IT!

“I don’t know how to do anything else.”  Translation, “I’m not willing to get out of my comfort zone and learn new skills”.  Even if you think you have no marketable skills, you do. And these can all be honed by a little education. Learning is something you should be doing on a continual basis regardless, so why not use it to your advantage?

And remember. You only have one life. Once chance. You will spend between 40 and 45 years of your life working a job. So don’t fall victim to these lies that can rob you of precious time.  Honestly assess your career at this moment in time. Is it time for a change? If so DON’T DELAY. Do it now!