Q. I'm seriously tired of the status quo at my current job. I really want to look for a more challenging position, but all my friends say I'm lucky just to have a job. Is this a bad time to look for another job?
A. No, it's never a bad time to keep your eyes open for opportunities that challenge you to grow professionally and personally. Remember, there is no telepathic police force scanning your office to detect disloyal employees considering anything less than lifetime employment.
Obviously, don't work on your resume at your desk or scan the Internet for new jobs while at work. Most employers can't detect (or control) your thoughts, but they can control (and punish) your behavior.
It's not cheating to use your professional contacts and current job to open up doors for a new position. Don't be shy about letting your network know that you enjoy your current job and are keeping your eyes open for new professional challenges. You can also consider ways in which your current job could put you in touch with associations, organizations or individuals who may need what you'd like to do.
I find many of my clients who are bored don't realize there's a trade-off between fear and boredom. Some of my clients feel frustrated with their current circumstances but they don't see that changing their situation will involve risks they may not have acknowledged.
Try this exercise ... write down everything you dislike about your current job on one side of a paper. On the other side of the paper, write down what you want. Now in the middle write down what you would need to be willing to do to move from what you've got to what you want.
Many of my clients are surprised to find out it isn't the logical risks that keep them stuck. Logical risks may include potential loss of income, moving or having to go back to school. My clients tell me the risks that scare them the most are emotional. Risks like loss of status, embarrassment, failure or loss of approval.
In taking some recent risks in my own career, I had a smart colleague ask me whether I wanted to steer my career in the direction of being respected or being popular. It was a great question because it made me realize that I wasn't interested in either since both are measured by how much I am approved of by others. I told my colleague that I judge my work by whether it seems effective to me.
Once, you've done the exercise I've recommended. Take a good look at the emotional risks you are avoiding and ask yourself what you'd try if your only goal were to be effective. Would you still let the risk of failure, embarrassment or losing approval control your behavior?