Is Maintaining The Status Quo Damaging Your Career?

Sixty percent of people reported being emotionally detached at work, according to Gallup in their 2022 State of the Global Workplace report. Along with feelings of dissatisfaction, people also experienced staggering rates of both disengagement and unhappiness.

So, why are people enduring these overwhelming feelings of dissatisfaction in their career?

Because change is hard.

At Consolidated Planning, we’ve been where you are and we understand the weight of your decision to change careers is a heavy one. With a firm that’s focused on helping you take control of your life, it’s possible to build the career you’ve been dreaming of.

Going through the learning curve of a new industry might be worth your growing pains. Here we will help you understand what the status quo is, why maintaining the status quo is doing your career a disservice, and if a career in financial advising is the right path for your personal and professional goals.

 

What Is The Status Quo?

The Status Quo refers to the current state of things. For the purpose of this article, that “thing” is your career. Or lack of career.

Since you found this article, it might be safe to say that maybe you’re feeling stuck in the status quo when it comes to the work you’re doing. This feeling can be a sense of dissatisfaction, lack of progress, or a feeling of being trapped in your current situation.

Feeling stuck is something we all feel at some point in our lives for one reason or another. But, what matters here is what you choose to do, or not do, about that feeling.  And let’s be clear, deciding not to do something is still making a decision.

 

OVERCOMING THE STATUS QUO

Overcoming the status quo begins by challenging the familiarity of your circumstance and embracing the mindset of continuous improvement. This mindset entails pushing boundaries, taking calculated risks, and seeking out opportunities that align with your aspirations all for a better outcome in the long run.

But it’s easier said than done when it comes to ultimately deciding to make a change in your career. Even if it’s a change for the better.

That’s because people often prefer the known to the unknown. Even if that means sacrificing potential rewards in the future for the sake of a “sure thing” right now.

But, The JOLT Effect says that people actually feel more regret when bad things result from their actions as opposed to when bad things happen as a result of their inactions. That’s because as humans, we tend to act more strongly to something going wrong because of something we did rather than something we did not do.

However, your inaction may pose a bigger threat to the trajectory of your career than you think.

 

 

What You Risk By Maintaining The Status Quo In Your Career

We get it, change is hard, and the fear of failure can hold you back from making a change to your circumstances. But, what do you risk by maintaining your status quo? Will you be stuck? Will it be tougher to make a change later down the line?

 

#1 MISMATCHED SKILLS AND INTERESTS

For most of us, working is a necessary part of our lives. With that being said, when your skills and interests don’t align with your career choice, that can make this huge part of your life very lackluster. Your work that you spend 40+ hours on each week quickly feels monotonous and unengaging, leading to further dissatisfaction and burnout over time.

Let’s look at your unique ability here. Your unique ability is something you’re good at and something you enjoy. Now think of your current role and industry. Is this something you’re good at and something you enjoy? If you can’t answer yes to these, it might be time to change your status quo for the better.

However, if your unique ability doesn’t include building relationships and conveying complex information in a simple way, a career in financial advising may not be the right path for you.

 

#2 LACK OF GROWTH

Without considering your unique ability in your career path, it will be hard to achieve the level of growth that you might be desiring. 

Even personally, it’s almost impossible to feel motivated to do something if you don’t enjoy doing it. 

Take your workout for example, if you despise running and it bothers your knees, attempting to run everyday is a constant battle between what you want to do and what you should be doing. If you have to convince yourself to do it – it probably won’t get done, at least not to its full potential.

Maintaining the status quo in your current career may lead to stagnation, limited growth potential, and personal and professional setbacks if you let it go on long enough. This is true for two reasons:

• You are uninterested in doing the work
• You’re unable to meet performance expectations

This lack of growth will be apparent to the people you work with. Yes, even your boss.

 

#3 UNFULFILLMENT

As much as you may try to keep your work and personal life separate, they tend to bleed into each other. Now, that’s all fine if you’re enjoying your career path. But feeling unfulfilled in your career can take a toll on your personal health, wellness and even relationships.

Something that can help bridge the gap between your unique ability and a feeling of fulfillment is finding a career path where you have a greater purpose.

A greater purpose to help others.

Being a mission-based financial advisor is a great opportunity to make a positive impact in others lives and in return, your own life. Advisors at Consolidated Planning follow a planning philosophy that focuses on prioritizing clients before all else. Here you can build meaningful, long-lasting relationships and help families and businesses plan for a financially secure future.

And that fulfillment fuels your desire for continued growth.

 

Is A Career In Financial Advising Right For You?

Let’s address the worst case scenario head on here – failure. What happens if you fail as a financial advisor?

Well, you can cross this career path off of your list and move on, but at least you tried. Wouldn’t taking the risk still be better than the feeling of discontentment day in and day out? In financial planning, we talk a lot about the preference of hearing a no rather than a maybe. The no’s are not what will kill you – it’s the maybes. The maybes are where time and energy are wasted.

Now, let’s ask an even better question, what happens if you succeed?

We believe with the right culture fit and the right mix of autonomy and support in your career, you will have the success and fulfillment you’re craving in your career. If you’re still on the fence about making a career change to financial advising ask yourself these questions:

• Are you worried you’re choosing the wrong path?
• Do you feel that you’ve done enough research?
• Do you fear the result won’t be what you hoped for?

Now take those responses and hear from our recruiters about how the rewards outweigh the risks with a career at Consolidated Planning.

 

 

 

 

2023-156122 Exp. 5/2025