If you don’t love your job, there are many ways to help you to change your perspective – remember the smallest changes can lead to the greatest breakthroughs.
Give it a try – at worst you’ll be right and your job stinks, but maybe, just maybe if you change your attitude and subsequently your behaviours towards it, you might just learn to love your job – even if it’s just a teeny-weeny bit more. If all else fails, then you can start to look elsewhere, knowing you tried.
Some clever clogs once said to no one in particular, “even the best job won’t seem so great if your attitude stinks”, - (that was me by the way), so given that you’re still reading this blog tells me you’re already in a positive mind frame.
So, it’s easy for me to say all this because I love my job, but here are a few tips and snippets of advice for you to start to shift your bootee in the right direction too:
1. Remember - The challenges ahead are never greater than the strength and resources you have within you – taking the first step is often the hardest… after that it gets way easier.
2. If you are having a tough day – remember it’s a bad day not a bad life. Life (or work) may not be perfect, but it’s never truly awful and nearly always bearable – especially when we learn to dance through the storms.
3. In the words of Zach Pogrob, “surround yourself with relentless humans… find people going up mountains and climb together”. In other words, find your tribe – surround yourself with the right people.
4. Learn, practice, and believe in self-care. With self-care, self-kindness, self-compassion and self-awareness, anything is possible!
5. There are times in life when our flame goes out, mostly due to the punch’s life throws our way. Rekindle your spark today with some positive attitude – challenge yourself to complete a task you’ve been putting off.
6. Don’t let the negativity of others dishearten you or break your spirit – they haven’t got the power to do this, only you have that 'gift', so use it wisely.
7. Anxiety = Overestimation of Danger ÷ Underestimation of Resources
8. What if – All those times you were told you weren’t good enough – and all those times you believed you weren’t good enough, the truth was you were overqualified!
9. There are three potential solutions to every problem: Accept it, change it, leave it. If you can’t accept it, change it. If you can’t change it, leave it.
10. And finally… the magic number 10. This is a good one. “You versus You” – a reminder to not stand in the way of your own success. Don’t blame others, or the world – you have control over your hope, your focus and your success.
Bonus tips:
1. Work with a mentor to set your goals and be accountable by agreeing mini-goals and structure each day. If you use your manager for this, you could even negotiate a bonus or pay rise upon achieving your goals.
2. Make a list of what you want to change/improve, starting with what you like/love about your job. See what changes are possible immediately and make them immediately.
3. Don’t be scared to ask for help – it’s so important you don’t continue to be dragged down by an unmanageable workload, because you’ll just end up being less productive or worse!
4. Find ways to stay regulated (aka stay present) – if you lose focus and concentration find some grounding techniques that bring you back, e.g., breathing exercises or going for a walk. You can try the pomodoro technique which is great for time management and focus.
5. Declutter your environment – this will help you to feel better about starting work each day.
6. If all else fails, consider seeking professional help from a therapist (e.g., @scttherapy) or a Life Coach and I highly recommend Avril Matthews, A Liberty Life.
And that's it.... simple as. So, pull your socks up, wipe your nose (not on your sleeve), put the kettle on and get loving your job.