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How many times have you been talking about work with someone, and they say:”I hate my job”? A lot of people openly admit that they don’t like their jobs and that they would quit if they could afford to. They won’t admit this to their superiors, but they will admit it to just about anyone else who will listen.
Why are they so open about their negative feelings? What do they hope to gain by continually reinforcing their negative thoughts about the activity that pays their bills and puts food on their table?
We all work in one way or another. It’s a big part of what defines us as individuals. When you see someone who is 43 years old and still living off their parents, they might claim that they can’t find a job. But is that really true, or is it more likely that they are just to lazy to get up and look for a job? Letting their parents continue to cover their needs instead of claiming a life of their own is not the path to a satisfying and rewarding life.
I Can’t Get No Job Satisfaction
Why don’t more people enjoy their work? Satisfaction comes from spending the hours of your day in ways that truly fulfill you, and you spend a large portion of your day at work, so job satisfaction is pretty important. Yet, a lot of people seem settle for a job that doesn’t challenge or excite them, because the pay is decent.
Since you are going to spend a large part of your life at work, shouldn’t job satisfaction be just as important as compensation?
Benefits of Job Satisfaction
It’s very important that your job satisfy you in some way. The benefits of job satisfaction are many, here are four that come to mind:
1. Promotes a healthy, balanced lifestyle, keeping stress levels in check.
2. Fosters pride in your work, knowing that you’re creating something of value.
3. Motivates you to get out of bed in the morning with a positive outlook.
4. Gives you something to focus on besides just the money.
So, how do you go about finding a job that gives you a sense of job satisfaction?
How to Find Job Satisfaction
Here are five tips that will contribute to greater job satisfaction for you:
1. People Need You. If you find yourself wondering why you’re even bothering to do this work when no one seems to appreciate what you do, then don’t fret. There’s always someone who relies on you, no matter what type of work you do.
The public need toilet bowl cleaners to keep their toilets fresh. They rely on the trash-men to remove their unwanted garbage. Many people rely on the fast-food trainee to provide them with a quick meal. No matter what job you have, there are always people out there who are relying on you to do your job right. Your work is contributing to the quality of their lives somehow.
So recognize that there are those who need you to do a good job. People depend on you to deliver the goods and to be consistent about it. Please don’t let them down.
2. Plan Out Your Day. Do you ever find that your day disappears as quickly as it arrived because you got bogged down with minor task that seemed like an emergency? These minor distractions can prevent you from tackling the more meaningful projects, which would provide a greater sense of job satisfaction.
What’s the best way to deal with this? Plan out your day. At the end of your shift, decide what major projects you want to make room for tomorrow. What big thing could you tackle that would make a difference for you and your company. Plan out when you’ll tackle this major issue, and then do your best to stick to that plan no matter what minor distractions pop up.
3. Mix It Up. Consistency is a good thing to have at work, but endless monotony can drain your enthusiasm. It drags you down, it makes you tired early in the day, and it kills any motivation you have for the job.
Here’s a splash of cold water in the face: mix it up! Do something different! Step out of your routine and take a fresh look at things. What’s driving you to boredom? Sometimes minor chores can be eliminated or consolidated. Look for ways to inject some variety into your day, even if it’s something as simple as taking a different route to work.
Decide on three things that you could introduce to your work that would mix things up. Don’t be afraid to try something new and creative within the parameters of your job description.
4. Talk With Your Colleagues. It amazes me sometimes how little some people actually know about their work colleagues. There’s ‘Dave’, and ‘Sue’ and ‘Bill’ and Jane’, but go beyond their first names, and there’s a gap. It seems that when asked, we don’t really know much about them at all!
Your colleagues are not robots. They’re other human beings too, and they are trying to make a living, just like you. So treat them as human beings. Get to know them a little better when you have the opportunity. Share your experiences with them, and they’ll realize that it’s OK to talk with each other about something other than work.
The more you know about your colleagues, the more you will be able to relate to them, and the more interesting your job becomes.
5. Take Pride. This work that you spend so many hours a day doing, there’s something personal about it that only you can claim. It was done by you.
Warren Buffett said, “There will never be a greater you, than you.” That make you unique and special. Only you can put your own stamp on the work you do. By taking pride in this work you will experience a greater sense of job satisfaction.
Every day you get a fresh chance to do something great. So do great work, in the way that only you can.
