I remember watching a Zig Ziglar video about a woman who was miserable with work 7 years ago. At the time I was no where near as unhappy as the woman described in the video, but I was feeling some negativity about my work and workplace.
In the video, Zig Ziglar talks through his conversation with this women, helping her draw her attention to all the things that she does like about her job that she is taking for granted: the pay, the respect, the vacation time.
There is a lot of talk about how people are dissatisfied with their jobs, people are quitting and moving around more than ever and people report that they don’t like what they do at higher rates than in the past.
In this talk the solution is always something external. “We need more benefits, higher wages, more time off.”
There is hardly any thought put towards the personal and internal experience of work. The creation and experience of meaning that a person can only do for themselves.
The reality is that whenever anyone is doing any job, they have made the equation that they are better off working than not working. Whether it is the pay, the benefits, the future opportunities, or whatever.
People show up and say “I really hate my job”, but what they mean is that they dislike parts of the experience but value the money more than they value their time (or whatever the driver for them to continue to show up is).
Creating a positive and enjoyable experience at work is something that you are ultimately responsible for at an individual level. If you choose to connect with a bigger purpose, understand how your work fits in with your bigger personal story, and bring attention to the many reasons (money, etc.) that you do your job, you can turn a job people hate into a job you love.
If you choose to ignore your purpose and focus on the things you dislike you will be miserable and you will feel powerless. You will be searching for external solutions, created by others, to a problem that only you can solve yourself.
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