I know I said I'd put a blog yesterday, but we're approaching the end of October and I still have some goals to cross off my list, so that took top priority. I did have some thoughts I'd like to share on work. I've met a lot of people recently that have found new jobs, are looking for new jobs, or are considering changing careers and I thought this might help out.

My mom once told me that the stuff you don't like at your job shouldn't outweigh the stuff you do. She said if it ever gets to where more than 40 percent of your job is stuff you don't like, you might want to consider moving on. That's some wisdom from a Navy wife, who worked a lot of different jobs in a lot of different places, so I've always thought that little tidbit is a keeper. I frequently examine that ratio in my own work life, just to make sure it isn't out of balance.

I don't care what you do; everyone has parts of their job that they don't like. Does the good outweigh the bad? Take a look at the ratios below and see where you fit in.

90/10, 80/20—You love this job, and you can see yourself staying here for a long time, possibly making a career out of it. This is your dream job (or close to it) and the downsides are trivial at best. You're getting paid to do something you love, and you love that.

70/30—You really like working here and you'll definitely put some good time in with the company, you might even move up to a higher position (creating a new like/dislike ratio). It's not exactly your dream job, but you certainly don't mind going in everyday; if you made this your career, you wouldn't have any regrets.

60/40—There are parts of this job you really like, but the parts you don't like can be pretty infuriating, and they seem to come around with an annoyingly consistent frequency. Overall you're happy here—it pays the bills, has decent benefits, and you get along with most of your coworkers—but if a job better or equal to this were to present itself elsewhere, you'd probably go for it.

50/50—Half the time you like your job, the other half you hate it, and you never know which way it will go. You're probably thinking about moving on, and you might do some casual job searching, but there's still a part of you that thinks things can turn around if you stick with it. Overall, you're not thrilled to be here, but something—the people, the benefits, the hours—is good enough to keep you in your cube.

40/60—You don't like this place and you'd gladly leave if something was available. Things might have been good once, but circumstances have changed and now you're ready to move on. At this ratio, you're probably actively searching for something new by night, if not at your desk during the day.

30/70—At this point you'd take any job to get out of your current situation, even if it means a pay cut or switching careers. The few bright spots can't make up for the load of crap you have to shovel everyday to see them. You spend much of your time dreaming of a better career, or asking yourself what the hell happened to get you to this point, neither of which is very productive.

80/20, 90/10—What are you still doing here? This job is affecting your health now. You're too stressed and you're never happy, and people around you can tell. It might be time to throw in the towel and take a leap of faith into the job market. Whatever you do, do something soon, because you're dangerously close to going bananas on the receptionist.

So where are you at? I think the economy has pressured some people to stay at a job they don't like because they think there's nothing else out there, and they feel guilty for not liking their job when others are unemployed. Don't worry about that, it's okay to not like your job all the time, but I would advise taking a very critical look at your like/dislike ratio. Why does it look the way it does? Talk to some people outside of your office, share your pros and cons and compare them to others (both in your field and out of it)—a little perspective can go a long way, and you might find that your numbers were a bit skewed.

In a perfect world, we'd all get paid to do whatever we want to do, but that's not the case. Sometimes we have to work jobs we don't like, and sometimes we get lucky and find that dream job, you never know. Just remember that you're not defined by what you do, but who you are, so don't let a job shape your character, there are things far more important in life than what you do between 8:00 and 5:00.