Be Happier At Work

Often we wish we were doing something else for a job. Often we settle for something we are good at or something that was available as a way to earn money and pay our bills. We give our time and we get money. This rarely makes us feel fulfilled. Therefore we day dream of a better job but do nothing to get said job.

If we do end up getting said job, then it may not be what we thought it was. The grass is not always greener as they say. There is another way to think about it. You could think of the work you currently do as a craft. If you were to try to make your current job your craft, to take care and pay attention to align how you do your job with your values and what is important to you. Then your passion for your job will increase over time. Opportunities that you hadn’t seen will appear and you will spend time making a difference not exchanging your time for money.

Opportunities are always there, but we have to adjust our minds to see them and we have to do the work to create the conditions for the opportunities to appear. Remember, we see the world not as it is but as we are.

When One Door Closes

In life there are ways and processes that we find helpful and that make life easier, and when they are taken away we feel angry and frustrated. We ask why and complain about how it is not like it used to be. However, what is hidden in these turns of event is that there are other ways of doing these things and other processes. Often they are more helpful and make life more meaningful.

We get stuck in ways of doing things that feel comfortable or familiar or ways that have been drummed into us as the ‘right’ way to do something. We rarely question these ways of doing things, as we go about our routine filled lives.

At work this past week I found it difficult to help a customer as a process I had become used to changed. I spent some time moaning to colleagues, who join in with my indignation, before asking my Manager what I could do. My Manager gave me an alternative that I had never thought of before, which was a better option all round and allowed me to help the customer. When one door closes look for an alternative door, it may be a better one.

Balancing Opportunities

Often opportunities come up in life that seem good for progression at work or in life but we hesitate. There are two questions that you should ask before you take any new opportunity.

First, ask yourself whether the new opportunity aligns with who you are. Meaning, does it connect with your values and beliefs, and who you want to be in life?

Second, do you have the resources to take on this new opportunity? By resources I mean time and energy. You need to balance your life, so no one area unbalances things. If you need chill time then don’t sacrifice it for any new opportunity. If you need time to recharge then don’t drain yourself by not giving yourself this time.

Many good opportunities seem beneficial, but you should figure out if they are worth it for you.

Appreciate Where You Are

They say that every season has its purpose. In nature, Autumn bring the falling of leaves which nourish the soil, that then feeds the tree from which the leaves fell. Summer provides lots of sunlight to help plant life to flourish, which helps all life to flourish.

You might feel like you are in a difficult situation that might be likened to the harshness of Winter, but difficulty can help us to develop resilience. If it was like the Summer all of the time then we may not appreciate what we have. Every year Winter shows us what the absence of Summer is like and we appreciate it all the more when it comes around again.

In life we have challenges and we have moments in the Sun. Each has its purpose and we can use them to our advantage, if our mindset is a growth mindset and we look for the opportunities rather than the difficulties.