“Life is relentless.”
Most of us are working harder than we ever have and some of us are earning even less money than we once did due to the economy and factors way beyond our control.
We lead busy lives. We are responsible for many things to many people. Life is hard work.
But no one ever died of hard work, so this article is not about bellyaching.
This article is about finding satisfaction in lieu of hard work without exerting any undue effort. BTW, if you think this is bogus than go turn on Oprah and eat “bon bons” while you wallow in your self pity.
Got your interest?
Here is how you can find job satisfaction without even trying:
1. Stop trying. Knock it off. Who ever told you or where did you learn that your job can give you some type of satisfaction? If you do have job satisfaction then good for you. However if you do not have job satisfaction, then so what? Learn to find satisfaction elsewhere! Find it in a hobby, a loved one, a child, a pet, volunteer, etc. Unless your job is a complete nightmare then do what you have to do to earn a living, and do it well. If you can, have some satisfaction in just knowing that you are doing the best that you can.
2. Why do you think your job is called “work”? Some of us are doing our labor of love, but come on. Those people are rare. 99 percent of us go to work every day to pay bills and support ourselves and loved ones. We exchange our knowledge and abilities for an income and hopefully some benefits. But it’s WORK! We do not go to “PLAY” every day, we go to work. We wake up earlier than we want to, we put up with incompetence and politics, and we do our very best to WORK. Working does not imply satisfaction nor should it. It’s a means to an end. Period.
3. Be grateful that you have a job. There are thousands of people unemployed right now, in fact there are thousands of people who have given up even looking. Do you realize that having a job is a privilege? It’s not written into the US Consititution that everyone should be able to work and earn a living. If your job is making you absolutely miserable then you have 2 choices. You can live with it while understanding the bigger picture: you are earning a living. Or find another job. But remember that the grass looks greener in other pastures. Sometimes we change jobs but in fact we are changing headaches.
In conclusion, job satisfaction is illusory and it’s a moving target shifting by the moment. The trick is to stop chasing it. Think of it like this: when you chase something, it usually runs away from you. If someone or something was chasing you, wouldn’t you run away and hopefully run faster? Of course.
The world is filled with interesting and enlightening things to do and explore for your satisfaction. If your job is feeding your soul then be grateful. But if it doesn’t, still be grateful and go outside and play after work.
Just as you did when you were a kid.
I am Bernie Reifkind,CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc. I can be reached at 1(800) 801-1400 or email at ceo@psihealth.com. I welcome your phone call.