How to Find Joy at Work
How to Find Joy at Work!
So many people wait for happiness to find them instead of going out and looking for it. They complain at work, `Why did I get stepped over for that promotion?` or `Why won`t the boss give me a big increment (raise)?` Funny thing is, even if they got it, their joy would be short lived. Soon after, they would want more and more and more.
Until you find the CORE reasons to have joy at work, you will always be second best and never get all those things you want. Sorry, please do not `shoot the messenger`. Reality, people create much of their own reality in life based upon the joy and enthusiasm they have for their work, the people around them and their overall attitude.
GUILTY AS CHARGED: I found myself, ME, Mr. `Motivator` with a bad attitude a few years ago. In almost every conversation, I would bring up something negative about someone or something. It was usually under the guise of humour and poking fun, but still, it was negative. That realization and changing it made a huge difference for me in both acquiring the love of my life, my wife Sarnai AND in my overall business development.
Although I still catch myself from time to time being negative (usually with taxi drivers…I am not sure why), the transformation is amazing and the kinds of people and business opportunities that are coming my way are, well both exciting and humbling.
Here is the CORE(S) method of changing your attitude and finding true joy at work:
1) Cut the negative talk. Cut out repeating anything negative about people. Cut out saying negative things about work. Harder than it sounds. Try it TODAY and if you can make it one full day without a single negative comment, you are doing an amazing job. Negative talk kills joy, positive talk builds joy up.
2) Omit the parts of the story that make others look or sound foolish. Sometimes I would catch myself sharing stories that made me look good and others foolish in the process. What I discovered was, I did not need to put them down to build myself up. The joy flows from being positive and upbeat. People respect that…including the little voice inside you.
3) Remind yourself how lucky you are to have your job. There are a ton of people out there who would LOVE to have your job and do what you do. They are out of work. They REPORT to you. They are in your competing company looking at you as lucky while you look back at them as being lucky. Until you get happy at where you are now, changing jobs will only transfer that bad attitude around. Find the joy in THIS job, in THIS day, in THIS assignment before you look for joy somewhere else.
4) Excite yourself! Carl Luther, my mentor in the mid 70`s to early 80`s was a master trainer and consultant. He taught me that animals crawl out of burrows in the morning. Only fully alive and functioning professionals LEAP out of bed and throw their arms into the air and say, `Boy am I enthusiastic!` As silly as it sounds, it works. Other motivational speakers use `YES!` or some other cue to excite themselves. What I use is a new project, a new approach, a new client, a new business angle, a new promotion, new newsletter (like this one) or any small change to get myself going and spur on the joy of the work day. It works for me. Find some little thing that works for you and use it daily if not hourly.
Get EXCITED about your job and you will be surprised how your boss and colleagues will notice. Get EXCITED about your new set of goals and you will be surprised how you will work so effectively to attain them. Get EXCITED about a negative worker as a challenge to find the right way to motivate him/her.
I learn daily about excitement from my 2.5-year-old daughter. She gets excited when a courier delivers a package! She gets excited when we ask, `Do you want to go out?`I had that kind of excitement when I started my business 22 years ago and then after 17 years lost it. Well, I found it again and you would be surprised the quantum leaps we have been taking. It really puts the joy back into business.
5) Smile. I know I harp on this one a lot, but it is so true. Are you smiling now? If not, why not? Costs nothing; changes attitude. Put the joy back into your day with a smile. (At least people will wonder what you are thinking of!`
There are 1000 ways to find joy in work, these are just the CORES. Seek joy today and I guarantee you, tomorrow… will be even better.
