This article on how to be 10% happier at work is inspired by reading a blog post Penelope Trunk wrote on How to Love the Job You Have – Focus on One Good Thing. It was a touching personal story and it sparked an epiphany in my mind – we often spend too much time focusing our thoughts and speech on what we don’t like about our jobs vs. what we do like.
No job is ever perfect. Even for those who love their jobs, there are probably still something that is not great about it. To be 10% happier, you need to just spend more time remembering what is the one thing you like/love about your work regardless of all the stuff you may not like about it at the same time.
Here is what I mean: Let’s do an exercise – Tell me the one thing you love about your job. You may say, “well, I don’t know. I can’t think of anything.” I would say, “think harder!” The fact you are still at your current job means there is at least one thing you like/love about it. Keep asking yourself the question, “What is the one thing I love about my job?” and you will get at least one answer and perhaps several.
Want a hint? The one thing you love about your job doesn’t have to compensate for the multitude of things you may not like about your job. I will give you my example. The last few months have been pretty rough for me. I guess the honeymoon period is over! I discovered several things about my job environment that I was surprised by or even dislike.
I am not going to tell you what they are because that’s part of the exercise. Most people, including myself can easily answer the reverse question – What is the one thing I dislike about my job? Try it. I bet you already have at least 2 or 3 things you can tell me about what you dislike. Why is that? This is because our mind tends to gravitate towards things we dislike.
- We will think about them after work hours and sometimes even in our dreams
- We will tell other people about them to get advice, validation, or sympathy
- We will dwell on them wishing they were different and better
- We will analyze then to figure out if there are anything we can do to change them.
Do you do any of the above? I will bet that you do. Now think about how much time you spent thinking about the part of the job you dislike vs. part of the job you love. I will again bet that we spend a disproportionate amount of time on the dislikes – occupying our thought process and conversation with others. As a result, we are less happier. How can we be happy about our jobs if most of what we think about is related to the parts we dislike?
So let’s get back to our exercise. By asking the question of “What is the one thing I love about work,” we are consciously asking our brains to shift gears and focus on the positive aspect of our work. So it’s important that you keep asking the question until you get at least on answer. It could be as simple as
- It pays the bills.
- I get to work day shifts
- It’s close to my house
You may say wait a minute, these are not great reasons to love a job. Well, it’s a start.
- Job market is still tough so having a job that can pay well enough to support your life is something to be thankful for.
- Having a job that only requires you to work during the day is so much better than working grave yard shifts. You can arranging time to meet up with friends and family in evening hours.
- Commuting can be super stressful and time consuming. Think of just how much more relaxed you are and more time you have with a job close to your home.
The whole point is to find answers so you can start feeling grateful for the things that are working well. Too often we instinctively over-focus on the negative. The more of an over-achiever we are, the more true this is.
Don’t just wait until Thanksgiving to be grateful. Spend some time each week thinking about what you love about your job! I bet you there is always at least one thing you love and can be thankful for. When we are thankful, we are happier.
To help myself re-fcous, here are the three things I love about my current job
- I get to launch my “work baby” into the world and change people’s lives. My job changes how we service millions of customers. Even if it’s a small change from a customer’s standpoint and they never know it was me and my project team that made it happen, it is rewarding for me to know that I have a job that makes an impact.
- I get to have work life balance and therefore spend quality time with my family and young kids. I walk 12 minutes to work. I can work from home on Wednesday afternoons when my nanny can’t watch my younger daughter. I work mostly 8-5:15pm on the weekdays. Any overtime is self-imposed instead of demanded by anyone else.
- My challenges at work create such great material for this blog. By living in the corporate trenches, I can share first hand stories of my trials and tribulations to help all of you. It helps me stay relevant and grounded. In another word, “What ever shxx I am going through at work, I bet others who read my blog also are going through.” It is nice to be able to share tips about how to deal with it using first hand knowledge.
You may think, well – of course you love your job with a list like this. Well, I can start telling you the 3 bullets of what I dislike about my job that will make you feel differently. I won’t do it however. I already do it enough in my head. This exercise is about how to focus on the positive in our jobs more often so we can be 10% happier.
Your comments: What is the one thing you love about your job? Does this post help you? Share your answer in the comments below. I look forward to our discussion
Like this post? Then help me share it on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and email. Thanks!
Best wishes to your career success and happiness. I am always in your corner.
Lei