Ask yourself why you chose this work to begin with. You wanted to work on cool technology? You planned to make $1 million before you turned 40? Whatever your goals, if you've realized them -- and you couldn't care less -- the implications are serious: The job no longer jibes with who you are.

You've fixed the things that drive you nuts -- and you're still miserable.

Maybe you've come to an understanding with a control-freak boss. Or you've slashed the red tape that used to slow you down. You've made changes that ought to turn Monday mornings into happier occasions. But they haven't. In that case, your dissatisfaction with your work is now a chronic condition -- and it won't clear up until you find work elsewhere.

Coordinates: $13.99. "Take Yourself to the Top: The Secrets of America's #1 Career Coach," Warner Books, www.warnerbooks.com; Laura Berman Fortgang, lbf@intercoach.com

Sidebar: Stay Put, Change Jobs

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more fiercely determined woman than Jill Jeffrey. She is, after all, someone who played professional basketball for a year, even though she's only five feet tall. After she joined EDP World, an IT recruiting firm in New York City, it came as no surprise to anyone that she quickly became one of the company's top recruiters. And that was how she measured her success: being one of the top billers.

But after three years, Jeffrey started feeling that her performance -- and her enthusiasm for her work -- was slipping. Something was missing. She decided to sit down with the firm's two owners, lay it out, and hope for the best. She followed these guidelines.

Don't sweat the details.

Jeffrey didn't go into the meeting with a clear blueprint of how to restructure her work. But she knew the bottom line: She wanted to play a major role in the company's decision making. And that's how she approached her talk. "I told them that I should do more to contribute to the company -- and we took it from there."

Be prepared to leave.

Jeffrey didn't intend to issue an ultimatum, but she was ready to walk if things didn't work out. "I went in prepared for the worst," says Jeffrey, 41. Armed with that resolve, she was able to convey the urgency of her situation.

Go with the flow.

Jeffrey didn't try to control the conversation. Instead, she gauged the owners' reactions as she talked. Was she a disappointment? Did they want her to stay? Then, once they agreed to let her take on more responsibility, she let them turn the meeting into a brainstorming session. Her strategy worked: Together, in a follow-up meeting, they drew up a new job description.

Today, Jeffrey supervises a group of 15 new employees and helps plan the company's recruiting strategies. "I'm using my abilities to their fullest potential," she says, "and that's made my work even more rewarding."

Coordinates: Jill Jeffrey, jillj@edpworld.com

Sidebar: Take a Break, Make a Break

Five years ago, Denny Stone was ensconced in a high-pressure job managing proposals for Computer Sciences Corp. in San Diego. But things fell apart when his wife of two and a half years died of cancer. Stone felt that he just couldn't go on. He sold his house and left the company, determined, he says, "to figure out what was important."

He embarked on an unpaid, two-year radical sabbatical and ultimately returned to CSC -- to a completely different job. How did he ensure that his time away from work didn't turn into a waste of time? He acted on these three principles.

Reconnect with your passion.

For years, Stone had been fascinated with race-car driving, but he had had little time for it. Now, however, he threw himself into his avocation: joining clubs and even building race cars. It was challenging, gratifying work -- and it helped him get reconnected with the things that really mattered to him.

Take on new experiences.

After a while, Stone decided not only to drive race cars but also to teach others how to drive them. The experience turned out to be a revelation. "I found that helping people see things they might not otherwise have seen was as much fun as doing it all myself," says the 41-year-old Stone. He'd never taught before; he discovered that he loved it.

Listen to people you trust.

To learn if there was a place for his newfound interest in the world of work, Stone turned to his "board of advisers": consultants he'd worked with, friends at CSC, and family members. After months of lunch meetings and phone conversations, he and his colleagues developed a new job for him at CSC: training new employees and helping employees at all levels hone their leadership skills.