Quit Now, Before You Get Fired!

We live in a climate of uncertainty and negativity.  For many, this has caused a downward emotional spiral that can have devastating consequences for their careers.  If you have a job and you don’t want to get fired; if you want a successful, happy, satisfied future; here are 5 things that you need to quit doing right now before you get fired.

Quit Complaining – Sure, you can always find things to complain about if you look hard enough.  Every job has difficult elements or it wouldn’t take a competent person such as you to do it.  Turn your attention to the things you like about your job.  Do they pay you?  Do they provide benefits?  Do you like your co-workers?  Is your work challenging?  Learn to look for things that you enjoy about your job and make that your topic of conversation and thought.

Quit Worrying – Will the economy get worse?  Will Congress spend too much money?  Will I lose my job?   Will I get sick this winter?  Too many of us waste much of our day worrying about the future.  The truth is, most of the things we worry about never happen.  And, if they do, it’s seldom as bad as we worried it would be.  Rather than worry, do something active about the cause of your worry.  If there’s nothing you can do, just quit moping and start hoping for good things in your future.  The more you can channel your energy to positive, constructive action, the more happy and successful you will be.

Quit Wasting Time – In years past, people had to be reminded to take breaks from work.  Unfortunately, today, people are seldom on the job.  It’s easy to get distracted and spend time browsing the internet, chatting with coworkers, making personal calls, playing games or updating our Facebook page.  One study estimated that the average employee wastes about 2 hours out of every 8-hour day.  And half of that time is spent surfing the internet.  This translates to over $700 billion in lost productivity in the US alone.  Believe me, your employer knows whether you are working hard or hardly working.

Quit Spreading Bad News – Some people look for bad news like there’s a reward for it.  The more negative it is the more delighted they are to pass it along to you.  Unfortunately, they are slowly poisoning the office environment.  From now on, avoid these people like the plague.  Dig up good news, humorous stories, and positive tidbits–and spread them freely.  You will be like a fresh, healthy breeze in your workplace.

Quit Holding Back – In an environment of uncertainty, it’s easy to begin holding back a little energy, effort, and enthusiasm.  Perhaps you don’t want to share your best ideas and creative effort because you fear you might not be with the company for long.  Maybe you are putting off learning about the new product line or figuring out how the new system works.  “What if I do all of this work and I’m laid off anyway?” you might be asking yourself.  But, the real question you should be asking yourself is “what if I don’t do all this, and I stay? How valuable of an employee will I be, then?”  Stop holding back.  While you’re at work, give 100% of your effort, attention, enthusiasm and intellect to your job.

Follow these ideas and you will not only keep your job, you will become an indispensible team member and make a significant contribution to your company and your future.

Success Tip: If you want to hold on to your job, you should quit.  That is, quit complaining, quit worrying, quit wasting time, quit spreading bad news, and quit holding back.