Every job has setbacks and challenges, so you can love what you do without always being happy at work. Lingering stress and frustration are signs your work life is getting stale, but it can be hard to tell whether discontent stems from you or your surroundings. If you don't want to get stuck in a cycle of misery and regret, ask the right questions to figure out why you aren't happy at work.
1. Do You Value Your Work?
Most jobs get repetitive sooner or later, so it's easy to see your work as meaningless when you focus on individual tasks over the big picture. Feeling unappreciated makes you hate your job and bring less enthusiasm to everything you do. Remember, every job helps a company accomplish a goal. Reminding yourself how your efforts serve your team, employer and clients can lift your spirits during the daily grind. Passion comes from a personal commitment to keep improving, and you can't rely on others to motivate you.
2. Do You Choose a Happy Mindset?
Happiness isn't a product of success. Many people hope to gain joy and clarity from climbing the ladder, but misery follows them to every job. In reality, you can choose to be happy at work or harp on negative experiences. Instead of focusing on problems, think about the satisfaction you get from solving them. Concentrate on all your advantages and achievements, not the limitations of your environment. When you put out positive vibes and bring good energy to everything you do, success comes to you.
3. Do You Seek Out Positive People?
Hanging with the wrong crowd can ruin your efforts to be happy at work. Co-workers feed your negative mindset when they constantly complain or don't take their jobs seriously. You see only unhappy people around you and start believing it's beyond your power to change the situation. To break this cycle, seek out happy, confident people who love what they do. Having strong relationships with co-workers who work hard, accept responsibility and support others can help you stay upbeat under any circumstances.
4. Are You Using Your Strengths?
Top performers don't let weaknesses drag them down. They use strengths strategically to get the best results. Likewise, you're more likely to stay happy at work if you celebrate the things you do well, rather than beating yourself up about your flaws. Think about which activities make you most satisfied and fulfilled, and pursue projects that let you use valued skill sets. Even if you stay with the same employer, making yourself indispensable on specific tasks may help you carve out a new role.
5. Have You Pursued New Skills?
Stagnation is a common reason for unhappiness. Your passion could be fading because you haven't learned anything new or faced an exciting challenge in a long time. Fortunately, you don't have to rely on your employer for personal development. If you want to grow, try taking an online course, finding a mentor, starting a hobby or volunteering for new projects at work.
Expect to hate your job if you blame others for anything that goes wrong in your career. Only you control how you think and behave, and those are the two most important factors that determine whether you're happy at work.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Halgh at Flickr.com
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