What is preventing you from being happy at work? Do you think it is lack of a big paycheck? A cranky co-worker? How about all the little irritating things that seem to happen every single day? If you think these are the kind of things standing in the way of your workplace happiness…your wrong. According to Srikumar Rao, the author of Happiness at Work (and a personal hero of mine) what is really standing in the way of your happiness is YOU! Specifically the way you’re thinking about your job. He says ‘To change your job, you must change the way you think about it.’
Rao believes that we all create our own experience and ‘the knowledge that we are responsible for living the life we have is a powerful tool.’ Here are some steps that you can take to grab some on (and off) the clock cheer for yourself.
- Stop labeling things GOOD or BAD
The next time something crappy happens at work, resist the urge to call it bad, get uptight and give up your sense of peace and harmony. Instead, just do what needs to be done without judging the situation.
- Let go of GRUDGES
Seriously! Just let the past go! Yes, even the very recent past. The only person it’s pissing off is you. Sure it’s hard to do, but it will get easier with practice.
- Find passion in YOU, not your work
Instead of wasting time fantasizing about your dream job, change the way you see your current position. For instance, if you sell clothing think of it as a chance to be able to help people feel better about the way they look in clothes.
- Picture yourself 5 years ago and 5 years from now
Chances are anything that kept you awake 5 years ago has past and realize that the things that are bothering you today will also pass.
- Think about other people.
Even in a commissioned sales environment, where the attitude can be ‘every man for him or herself’ think of how you can be ‘others-centric’.If the nice guy is passed over at first, he may still be successful in different ways and that doesn’t mean he won’t triumph on another occasion. It doesn’t have to be a dog eat dog world. Good guys often rise to the top and win in the end.