DANCING TO ONE’S OWN TUNE

Marina Shifrin quit her job for a Taiwanese animator and created a video of her dancing in celebration.
Naturally, the video caught on and was not only an online hit, news organizations showed it repeatedly on television.
Some of us fantasize about quitting our job and celebrating. Perhaps we have a job that we’ve hated, but suddenly find ourselves able to unload it from our lives. Some may come into a little money, so therefore they don’t need to work anymore.
Dancing your way out the door may look like fun to some, but some may need to take pause.
As an employer, would you like to see anyone so happy to quit a job? In Marina’s case, she was fed up with the long hours she was putting in. She made that video at 4:30 a.m. when she finally finished work. In fact, her employer made a follow-up video wishing Marina luck.
If you are an employer and are not bothered by such a stunt, perhaps you need to evaluate your workplace, and how your employees really feel. If you don’t care how they feel, then hopefully all your workers will dance out the door.
Departing a job is often sad. As an employee, you’ve given your heart and soul to something, and for whatever reason you have to leave reluctantly. Or, you get laid off unexpectedly, and don’t know what your next step is. All you know is that you need the paycheck to pay bills.
Leaving a job can be sad, too, because of the people you’ve befriended, but may never see again. Some pleasant workplaces are difficult to leave. Perhaps you are retiring, because you’ve reached a certain age. Yet, though money may not be a problem, you may not know what you’ll do with your time.
We have a barrage of emotions about jobs. There are those who want to spend as little time at work as possible, and more time with the rest of their lives. There are also workaholics, who never leave work, even when they are home. Regardless of your situation, you have a lot of yourself invested in your job.
Even a “dream” job may not be your dream. There may be other things you want to be doing, even if you love your work. If you win the lottery, but say you won’t quit your job, chances are, you will after a while. Let’s hope you have the good sense to manage your good fortune so it can last into perpetuity for your family.
Winning the lottery is not the only way to create a fortune outside of work. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. No matter whether you do a happy dance, or leave with great sadness, your job will probably not last forever. Everyone needs a Plan B for when the day comes that work and paychecks end.
We’ve all been told that having a job that you can work at for all of your adult life is the key to success. Those days are not so gradually coming to an end. Jobs come and go, sometimes without you knowing. Just when you think you are valuable enough to your employer that he’ll never want you to go, suddenly, you’re gone. All that hard work you put in suddenly means nothing.
But most people work hard for their own purposes, and their employers benefit. You don’t have to dance out the door from your job, but hopefully you can leave your job with a smile on your face.
Peter