Why are so many people unhappy in their jobs? There are two primary reasons. First, some people are convinced that earning a living is wasting time that they could spend enjoying themselves or uncovering their true talents.
If this is the case with you, recall your last long vacation. Was it two weeks of complete enjoyment? Morelikely it was a week and a half of fun in the sun, with another half a week or "Boy. I can't wait to get back to work.”While all work and no play is not good, all play and no work is disastrous. We need to feel we are accomplishing something. We also need some form of order in our lives.
The second and perhaps more prevalent reason for people not to like their work is that they feel trapped. Once you've been at a company for five years and have a spouse, a mortgage and a child, you often feel youhave very little choice about jumping ship if things aren't turning out as you'd planned. A steady paycheck can be the biggest manacle of all. People resent having to do something because they have no other choice.
If you find yourself resenting your job because you can't afford to quit. it may be time to prepare what one career counselor humorously calls a "cyanide capsule". He recalls spy movies in which the secret agent bas such a capsule hidden somewhere on his body. If he's captured and tortured unbearably. he has an option. And having an option gives him the strength to hold on a little longer in the hope that the situation may change.
Rather than cyanide, your option takes the form of an up-to-date resume. You might also take a weekly glance through the help-wanted section, and make some visits to industry functions where low-key networking can take place. You're not giving up your current job. Rather. you are providing yourself with an option. Ifthings get unbearable at work. you could jump ship. Being in this position can do wonders for your attitude. It allows you to enjoy your work Since, in reality, you are t.bere only because you want to be.
At the core of adopting a positive attitude to your workplace is, above all, assuming responsibility for your own situation. Most people feel controlled by their environment. but they really aren’t. They have toleam to manage that environment so they can get from it what they need.