It's Monday morning and the alarm goes off...
"Oooh crrrrap, not again!''...and you bang your head with your favorite hard cover thriller to get back to your senses after the shock.
Is this you?
If it is, the reason is probably related to the way you filter your job experience. The fact is, you can wake up in the morning and say "Yes, I'm off to work!"
Now if you hate your work you're probably saying: "Are you loosing your marbles Reggie, enjoying work! hrrrmph!"
YES! Enjoying your work!
Now, let me be clear.
I'm not saying that you should adapt to any trash that other people may throw your way at work. What I'm saying is that usually there is something within your circle of influence which can kick start the process to enhance your working experience.
So what are some behaviors that you could incorporate at work to help you not only survive but also thrive in what you do.
1. Explore your feelings: and find out SPECIFICALLY what you don't like. Is it a specific task, the system at work, the Values of your organization, lack of career opportunities, your Boss?
2. Commit yourself to your work: Deep down do you wish you could put your heart in your work and career? If conditions were ideal in your workplace would you love doing the work that you do? If you decide you can never be truly committed to your work due to incongruence between your Values and your workplace than you are seriously in the rut and you need to consider alternative work! If on the other hand you intrinsically like your work, then there is hope! If it's only external situations that are causing the problems, put yourself in a resourceful state and commit yourself to your work with passion. Give your 100 percent effort and intention to the moment and task at hand.
3. Ask yourself what you can change: And before you say 'the shape of someone's face I don't like at work', consider the following: From the list you made in point 1, is there anything that is within your circle of influence to change? Do you need to speak to anyone about an action that could affect you positively? What's the first step you need to take? Now, decide your first step...and take action- immediately.
4. Make your work a piece of art.: Explore what specific part of your job you really like. Is it a specific task or skill? Whatever it is, commit yourself to become an EXPERT in it. Look into opportunities to develop further this skill and excell in this area within your organization. Ask to attend courses, and take charge of your own growth. Ask for help from your Boss, but march to the music of your personally developed plan and goals. Don't hibernate placidly in routine.
5. Communicate effectively: To bring about any change you require to hone your skills in communicating effectively. Listen to others more and 'see' the situations from their perspective. On the other hand, learn to clearly explain to others your perspective and needs.
6. Don't rat on your colleagues: Yes, we all love to bitch about our colleagues at times don't we? But trust me, it's not worth it and what goes around comes around. Establish a zero-tolerance for talking behind another person's back and avoid negative people. In fact your policy should be to make it clear you will protect those who are not present. Agree with your colleagues to give honest feedback to each other.
7. Create Work Life Balance: Rather than lack of love for your work, you could be getting burned out. You might be overworked or taking on too much. Make sure you have a good work life balance and leave space to totally cut yourself off from your work and do relaxing activities. Learn to say 'no' if required and create clear boundaries at work.
8. If you mess it- clean it: If you want to be trusted don't go into a defensive pitch when you make a mistake. Just admit your fault and clean up the mess. You'll feel much better afterwards.Remember that mistakes are opportunities to learn so if you screw up, reflect on what went wrong and what needs to change.
9. Go beyond what is expected of you: Going beyond your job description will serve you in many ways. If you pitch in and help others at work without expecting rewards it will help you to increase your knowledge and your trust account with your colleagues. And other people, especially the important ones will start noticing too.
10. Live a life of contribution: If you put yourself in the service of those around you--your family, your colleagues and your customers--you will gain a sense of purpose and meaning in all that you do. If you have done even one good deed during your working day - something which was not expected of you that helped a fellow colleague, you will feel so much better in the evening as you're sipping your glass of wine and relaxing.
11. Celebrate your successes at work: Make sure that you celebrate and acknowledge every worthwhile victory you achieve at work. Look back for the positive aspects that work is giving you and every time you make a contribution make sure you acknowledge it.
12. If all this fails, it's time to look for new vistas: Don't spend your life doing something you hate doing or putting up with an unfriendly work environment. If it's time to go, just cut the chord.
If you start working on these steps you will find that your Monday mornings may give you a smile.
