Don’t be miserable at work

There are two types of people who wake up in the morning. One wakes up, gets dressed and looks forward to the day knowing that there will be things done, work accomplished and something new to learn. The day may just surprise him or her with something unexpected but something wonderful.

The other one has to drag himself or herself out of bed, starts mumbling and grumbling and wonders why he or she has to “slave it out” just to get a paycheck to pay the bills? Guess who between the two would have a good day and who would be miserable?

I have been through this. Never felt good about getting up and heading to work especially on a Monday and more specifically after a long vacation. I felt unchallenged, unhappy and not in control reporting for a boss who tries to hide it yet would reveal that she is not happy either. And the misery level increases specially when surrounded by coworkers engaged in complaining and gossiping all day long.

Perhaps the only welcome break for you is when you hit the pantry and then starts sharing your opinion on what should have happened in the latest episode of Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones or Walking Dead. This is not the way to work and this is certainly not the way to live.

One of the most important lessons I have learned in my life is that I may not have the power to control my circumstances. How could I change the demeanor of my coworkers or my uninspiring boss? I don’t think I could. But I can certainly change the way I would respond to the circumstances and then manage my actions and behavior to make the day better. And that is to avoid unconstructive situations or people that when unwittingly allowed, influence me that would make my day worst.

Here are some things I have to be cautious about:

1. Being involved with people who constantly complain and find fault with the company, their bosses, the customers, and coworkers. Being in the company of unhappy people would naturally make me unhappy. Misery is contagious and they love company so I need to make sure I would not take part in it.

2. Working for a boss whose business practices and ethics violate yours. Whether these are those who abandon their responsibilities, abuse their privileges, or just plain rude and behave like jerks. What is worse than feeling miserable working for these types of bosses is the slow, daily, tolerance of such stupidity that one day you would become and behave like them.

3. Staying in a company that is destined for obsolescence. This is not to say that you bail out when your company is going through temporary troubles and challenges in fact, you should stay there and help out but what I mean is a company that still deal with products that are going obsolete and would be disrupted eventually.

4. Staying in a rut and still waiting for your company to invest in your career growth. “I feel like I am not growing in this company anymore…” Really? Well, growth in your career is not the responsibility of the company for you, growth is your own responsibility so you need to find ways to grow yourself first and then help your company grow.

5. Living from paycheck to paycheck just for the sake of having a paycheck in order to pay the bills. Now how could this NOT make you miserable when you are no longer living but merely existing? You need to rekindle your passion, discover your purpose and challenge yourself to do different but greater things.

There are many things that when unchecked would creep into your system and make you feel so miserable at work. You do not have to. Why feel stuck in a job that makes you suffer daily rather than living life as an adventure, growing the self and making contributions that would give meaning to life’s existence? There is more to life than being miserable every day.

So start owning your situation and then reconfigure a strategy to live life differently and do work excellently. Since we spend a majority of our lifetime doing work anyway, you and I might as well learn to make a life while making a living.

Better still, attend this conference and learn from Todd Henry who would discuss creativity and productivity while the theme will focus on Passion, Productivity and Purpose that would help us find meaning in life and work.

Will see you there.

(Best selling book author and productivity expert Todd Henry,  Francis Kong and a host of successful leaders will talk about Passion, Productivity and Purpose in a whole day conference entitled: “Die Empty – Unleash Your Best Work Every Day” on Nov. 9, 2017 at Samsung Hall, SM Aura. For registration or inquiries contact April at +63928-559-1798)