Being happy at work. At some point in most people’s working lives they’ll struggle to find enthusiasm for the daily grind. If that’s a regular event it may indicate it’s time for a change, but most of the time it’s just about mindset and embracing a positive attitude to work.
Here are six tips for staying positive and happy at work.
Avoid negativity
A negative workplace culture is infectious, seeping into everyone caught in its web, so avoid this type of toxic thinking.
Every workplace has its challenges, busy periods and people who may be tricky to work with, but don’t get caught up in seeing and discussing only the bad points of your job environment. Instead try to look at the positives, asking yourself what skills does this give me? What have I learnt? How can I make this better?
Science has also proven that if you can maintain a positive outlook, happy workers are more motivated, creative and achieve more, and why wouldn’t you want to be happy at work, the place you spend a third of your waking hours?
Appreciate a challenge
Life is full of challenges and occasionally work is one of them. But research indicates successful people can sail through their careers by appreciating the tricky issues thrown their way and using them as an opportunity to master new skills.
If you can show you’ve seized upon and overcome challenges in your career it also stands you in good stead as you progress through jobs in life, arming you with tools in people management, problem solving and management to help you rise up the ranks.
Be future oriented
Yes, there may be parts of your current position you dislike or find challenging, but it’s not forever. In fact young workers are the most mobile element of the workforce, spending on average only one year and eight months in a job.
That means your motivation should be attaining experience and skills, with an eye on your ultimate job prize, whether that’s moving into a more senior role at that organisation or moving on to a new one to learn more.
When you have your eyes set firmly on a greater goal, there’s no time or energy to be wasted on negativity or workplace politics, and being happy at work results.
Find meaning
If you find a job that excites your inner passion or inspires you, it’s much easier to see the attributes of the workplace and understand the road ahead.
Even if a career in your dream field involves starting at the bottom, a job in a meaningful industry allows you to see obstacles and bad days as blips rather than major hurdles that are necessary on your greater journey.
Be a team member
Work is not a solitary undertaking or a competition, it’s a team sport where each member has a critical role to play. And, as with any sport, if your team embraces a can-do attitude with a focus on the outcome, you’re more likely to enjoy the game of getting there, and others around you will to.
Together this makes your workplace a creative, fulfilling environment, where each member plays to their strengths and enjoys achieving goals together, with a sense of achievement in a job well done.
Make friends
Finding like-minded people in the work environment is a key to happiness and is all about injecting fun into the task at hand. Something as simple as going out as a group on Friday or finding camaraderie in challenging tasks makes the workplace a positive environment.
Ask somebody what makes their workplace great, 9 times out of 10 they’ll tell you it’s the people, so make the effort to connect with your teammates.
The final word
Finding joy in the workplace is much like any approach to life; it’s about embracing the positive, seeing the best and knowing what really matters at the end of the day. This makes any job enjoyable and adds to the overall quality of life.
To learn more about finding jobs that are meaningful and set you on your path to being happy at work, see what the Father James Grant program offers here.
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