Here are several of the Oxford English Dictionary’s definitions of the verb to languish:
Of a person, animal, or plant: to decline in health; to weaken, wither, or become faint; to exist in a state of weakness or illness.
To live in an oppressive or dispiriting place, situation, or condition.
To fail to make progress; to be unsuccessful.
To waste away with longing for; to yearn (to do something).
OED
Are you withering away at your job? Do you find work dispiriting? Have you reached a career dead end? Do you yearn to do something else?
Everyone will occasionally answer yes to these questions—especially after a bad day. But, if you often find yourself feeling this way, week after week, month after month, then there is a chance your ikigai has changed and no longer overlaps with your company’s ikigai.
If this is true, then you have four choices:
- Find a new place within your company in which you can thrive.
- Adapt your current job—effectively recreating your job—so you can thrive.
- Quit and pursue another job, either with another company or for working for yourself.
- Languish.
The first three options are active; the last one is passive. But all contain some level of career and financial risk.
Don’t choose number four.