Recently I was was asked how I felt about my day job and I responded; “I’m really enjoying it, I’m doing work I’m proud of and getting a ton of positive reinforcement”. The asker responded with, “well yes….. that’s how it’s supposed to be”. Hmmph. Really?
The fact is, we spend so much of our waking life clocked on, being happy while we do it is game changing. And on reflection it’s actually not as hard as you think. Here’s six steps to get you there:
- Re-frame how you see your ‘job’ from I am X or I do Y to thinking about it in terms of what you create — it can be relationships, happy customers, accurate numbers — make it output focused
- Be productive, use the time you spend at/on your craft to do it well, be in the moment with full attention and you will maximize effectiveness
- Take pride in what you do, remind yourself that it makes a difference — whether that’s to the world at large or just the people you work with, your family, your clients — it all counts
- Try to align your unique combination of skills with what you do each day, bring forth your best self
- Seek positive reinforcement, tell your peers, clients, boss’s etc that positive feedback makes a big difference to your performance — BIG NOTE take the time to give this gift to those around you
- Have a big beautiful life outside of the work stuff, make sure to separate the two, take your vacation, create meaning in your relationships, have balance
This list is simple but it’s not easy. For the most part, it depends on you. It asks that you take responsibility for your career happiness. It’s a tall order and a big investment. When it comes to dividends though, what better return is there than your own joy? The answer is none. There is no better return. So invest.
Originally published at medium.com