We all have times when we hate our job. Sometimes it can be tough to tell where the problem is – you or the job. Well, ok. Maybe its your job. But even great jobs are not always perfect, there will always be something that will get frustrating. One great option is simply to quit and get a job you love or make your own job . (Read my Young Business series when you’re ready to start working for yourself)
But if you’ve decided you’re not going to leave, you need to find ways make your current situation better. Here’s one simple way to help yourself enjoy your job more.
Venting
Venting is pouring out all of those feelings that have built up inside us. Venting can be good for us sometimes – getting out a few words about your boss or coworkers is better than going postalon them. But often venting causes us to focus on the negative, work ourselves up, and get more and more angry. Much of the time we are creating our own black hole of negativity that sucks the rest of our lives into it as well.
The Positive Vent
Try this – once a day for a week tell someone something good that happened at your job. Replace your normal negative comments with one positive one. And then that’s it, be done. No ranting and raving after that. (Make it a positively-phrased comment too – not “my boss was gone” but “the office was quiet”)
It may be hard at first to even find that one thing you enjoyed. So keep an eye open for it throughout the day. Even better – make something good happen. But as you focus on the good where you work you’ll soon be able to see more of it.
The great thing about finding the good is that now you have something to look forward to at work tomorrow. True, it may not be much. But the second day you’ll find a second thing that you liked, and another on the third. By Friday you’ll have a small list of reasons to get up and go to work.
Try this for a week and see if it makes a difference in how you feel about your job. Let me know in the comments how it goes!
2 Comments
Aaron Landry 09.25.2009
well said.
b ward 09.25.2009
I totally agree with the thought. The article is well written , Brad. As there are more and more persons in the public work force, many people feel they have the ‘right’ to vent their negative thoughts rather than try to make the work place more pleasant. Sometimes it is difficult, but the end result is better for everyone and well worth the effort. I might add as well, that older doesn’t necessarily indicate that a person has accepted this concept or have tried it.
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