Aside from “I wish I could sleep longer,” which I think is true for most of us, have you ever taken a good hard look at your first few thoughts in the morning? A lot of our overall mindset and health can be determined based on the first few things we think about.

I’m not talking about “I’ve got to feed the pets” or “I need to get the kids ready for school.” I’m talking about those thoughts about your life that come from a deeper place. Reflecting on your thoughts most mornings, which person best describes you?

 Person A:

• It’s going to be a great day.

• I’m looking forward to going to work.

• I wonder how my day will unfold.

 Person B:

• I can’t believe I have to do this all over again.

• I hope nobody gets on my case today.

• At least I’ll be at home in 10 hours.

If you’re Person A, I appreciate you reading this blog, but it really is designed for Person B — the individual who feels trapped by their professional life.

You’re going to spend one-third of your adult life engaged in work. It’s a tragedy to think that your life is filled with the kind of negative thoughts (not only during your work hours) that cast a black cloud. Every day that you hate your job is another day ruined.

If you didn’t read last week’s blog, I urge you to go back and look at the list of things people who need to leave their job tell themselves. You probably can identify with plenty of those entries.

When your job is starting to drag you down and sap you of energy, when it starts to harm your mental and physical health, and when it’s causing negative emotions by merely existing, it’s time to move on.

 Odds are you didn’t hate your current situation on day one. It happened over time. On day one, you were probably thrilled to be doing something new. Now it’s time for something new again.

If you’re a corporate attorney and like the work, but dislike the company you work for, maybe it’s just a lateral move to a different company. If you’re starting to dislike the work, it may be time for a new career.

I once read the story of an accountant who graduated from Yale University. He was hired almost immediately by a big New York City accounting firm, and within a few years, he was the lead accountant for well-known companies whose names you’d recognize.

Then, at 33, he had a heart attack, nearly putting himself in an early grave because his job had gotten so stressful. It was a wake-up call. He gave up his 80-hour work week, where he never saw the sunshine and had no personal life, and moved to New Hampshire and bought a hot dog cart. That was ten years before this story was written.

At the time of publication, he had been married six years and had a four-year-old daughter. He made almost as much money selling hot dogs (30 hours per week) as he did in his accounting job. He didn’t work weekends when the weather was terrible, or too cold, and was happier than he’d ever been. When asked what needed to change, he said he needed something new.

Most people can’t truly internalize that they only get one life to live until they’re in their 40s or 50s, and by that point, feel like they’ve painted themselves into a corner. You’re never too old to make changes if they are going to make you a happier, more fulfilled person.