When Your Dream Job Doesn't Work Out

You finally made it! You landed the perfect job in your favorite industry. Demand in this field is growing off the charts with opportunity around every corner. You've partnered with an amazing company with a fantastic vision, mission, and culture. To quote the young philosopher Jordan Davis, you do what you love but call it work. You love what you are doing and can't imagine doing anything else! Life is good!

You're speeding enthusiastically toward the future with a smile on your face, a spring in your step, and a song in your heart.

Then you smash into an invisible wall. You and your dream job didn't make it. Ouch!

Perhaps you and your vocational soul mate weren't meant to be.

First off, take comfort in knowing you aren't the first individual in the history of time that came to this uncomfortable realization. You aren't alone.

Take stock of what just happened and see where it went wrong. Did you force a square peg into a round hole? Were there red flags you ignored during the honeymoon phase? Did you feel like you did everything right, yet the expectations of your starring role weren't clearly defined and you failed to hit the mark?

It stings. I know. Your first thoughts may be of betrayal. You may feel like you gave it your all, yet your efforts were tossed aside. Was this your error or the company's? Perhaps you feel the company made a critical error, resulting in a call back, begging you to return.

Let it go. Seriously. Let. It. Go.

After you pick yourself up and dust yourself off, I recommend a few baby steps to take once your legs stop wobbling.

First, look at what you do have - family, friends, abilities, knowledge, breath. It may not feel comfortable now, but it was simply a job. It does not define you and it does not complete you. You are more than what you do.

Second, the sun will still come up tomorrow. The psalmist promised joy would come in the morning (Psalm 30:1-5). Reach out to someone outside your current pain. A trusted third party - a spouse, parent, friend, or even a counselor - can help you gain some perspective. You can't see through the fog, but someone in your life can guide you safely to the shoreline.

You don't have to ignore what's been lost or your current pain; just put it into perspective. No job - there are others. No security - there are other options. No sense of purpose or identity - you're looking in the wrong place. No job will ever fully satisfy you. Stop looking left and right for who you are and why you're here.

Next, you have just been given a gift - time. Use this time to breathe and refocus on what's important. If the dream job didn't fit, why not? Ask yourself some difficult questions. Yes, bills need to be paid, the kids need food and clothing, and the mortgage won't pay itself. If you've planned for life's bumps with an emergency fund, then you have breathing room. If you've always just barely made ends meet, then this will be a time of intense focus. If you're simply treading water before someone handed you this anvil, please know there are organizations and people all around you that are trained to help you get back on your feet.

It's ok to ask for help. This isn't forever. It feels like a crushing blow, but this is a mere hiccup on your life's timeline.

Finally, in parallel with gaining perspective, make a choice. Life is difficult - choose your difficult. Having a full-time job is difficult; being unemployed is difficult - choose your difficult. Being in shape is difficult; being out of shape is difficult - choose your difficult.

Multiple authors and speakers throughout the centuries have echoed time and again that life is more about our attitudes than our circumstances. Perhaps now is a good time to listen to some of their time-tested advice. You can still emerge triumphant.

You will hear voices during these tumultuous days. Some encouraging; others not so much. Choose to listen to only the encouraging ones. Many days, that's very difficult. Here are the words I heard during my recent encounter with that invisible wall - when I paused and took a deep breath. "Let it go, my soul, and trust in Him. The waves and wind still know His name."

This dream job wasn't quite the dream I hoped it would be. Now it's time to find a new path to a new dream.

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Credits: Bible quotes are from the English Standard Version (ESV), and photos are via Unsplash.