This blog is dedicated to the people who hate their jobs. I
have had the misfortune time and time again of encountering them in stores,
check-out lines and drive-thru windows. I dread having to work with them on my
job but there are a few there (fortunately I don’t have to work with them
often).
While I enjoy my job and have enjoyed many of my jobs, I
have had my share of abhorrent jobs. I’ve actually had nightmares about work on
occasion! However there are three things I have learned that I would like to
pass on.
First, thinking about how terrible it is only makes it
worse. When you leave work and immediately start dreading it that will never
make it any better. I’m not saying you have to think shiny, happy thoughts
about a job you hate, just don’t spend extra time dwelling on it. Here’s a
technique to use. As you pull out of the parking lot at the end of the day,
watch in your rear view mirror, the building get smaller and smaller. As it
decreases in size, it should decrease in your thinking. If you really need to
vent about it, set a time limit. Vent for 15 minutes and then forget about it.
Focus on things you like to do and the people you want to spend time with.
Second, while you are at work, find something about it you
like, can tolerate or just don’t hate. One of my first jobs was a checkout girl
at a grocery store. There was very little I liked about that job. However, I
realized I did like talking to the people for the most part. I also made a game
of seeing how fast I could get people though the line. I found that those two
things made the day go faster. Since then, I have realized to focus and
attitude can make a bad day better. Again, I am not expecting giddiness but just a
lack of negativity.
If you are having problem with the second part, consider my
third point. Be thankful. Gratitude is the missing link. Be grateful to have a
job, a steady income, something to do all day, or be grateful for the friends
and co-workers you have on the job, the restaurant you love having lunch at or
the fact that your schedule avoids rush hour traffic. The more you have to be
grateful for, the more likely you are to find something enjoyable or bearable
about your job.
This three-pronged approach works for more than mere job
dissatisfaction. If you don’t like your current home, or car, try this
approach. Look on the bright side, you probably won’t make it any worse!
2 comments:
I love this post. This is the third time that I've read it. If you don't mind, I have a couple more suggestions to include. 1. Think of the door you're leaving through as the barrier between the job you dislike and the life you love outside. Every day, when you walk out, you've physically left that job behind and everything you dislike about it. 2. Lose the Excuses. Life is too short to hate what you're doing. Look for something you love to do. Maybe you you have to find two part-time jobs to supplement your income, but it is possible to do. Maybe you need to tweak your budget to accommodate a job that pays a little less. It doesn't do you any good to hate your job and complain about it, yet you've done nothing to improve your situation.
Laura,
You have some great points. I do something similar to the door technique with some of my clients. I tell them to get in their car, put on their favorite music and as they drive off to watch the building they work in get smaller and smaller in their rearview mirrors. It's their cue to make it smaller in their minds. As the workplace disappears, start thinking about going home and what there is to look forward to as they move forward.
It's also a great idea to consider other work. We spend more time at work than we do with family and friends. Life is too short to spend it miserable at work (or anywhere else for that matter)!
Thanks Laura
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