Too many people choose a career or end up in a job because they fall into it or it provides an attractive salary and benefits. But in the long term, that might not be enough. If you embark upon a career with little self-knowledge of who you are as a person – your essential values, needs and interests- you might get lucky and end up having a satisfying career, but it will be by accident. It’s just as likely you will reach a point where you find yourself listless and adrift, feeling as though something is missing.
Happiness at work depends on balancing these three key principles:
1. People: You need to have respect for and enjoy the people you work with. You spend more time with your colleagues than you do your loved ones, friends or your beloved dog!
2. Day to Day Activities: You should love or at least “like” what you do every day in terms of your basic job responsibilities.
3. Mission: You need to see your core values and beliefs reflected in the overall mission of the organization in which you work. And that goes for the very services and products that your company delivers to its clients.
How do you rate these core principles against your current career/job? If any one of these key principles is missing or out of sync, you are not likely to be a “happy camper.” And you may start to experience negative effects. Symptoms of unhappiness at work may include lack of focus, fatigue, trouble sleeping, irritability, impatience and depression.
If you are one of those people who feel lost, you are not alone. According to the 2017 Gallup State of the American Workplace Report*, 67% of workers in the United States are either unhappy in their jobs or completely disengaged. If this “dis-ease” were treated like any other, we’d consider this to be an epidemic of monumental proportions!
The best treatment is prevention. Intentional and well researched career decision making can help you avoid jobs that are not a good fit. Career exploration that includes an in-depth examination of your life and career coupled with a comprehensive evaluation of empirical assessments provides a lens through which to evaluate occupational opportunities. And it can be invigorating!
Are you happy enough with the tasks of your job, the people you work with and the organization itself? If not, take the time to find out what would make things better. An important first step to achieving clarity in your life and career is connecting with a professional expert in the field of career counseling.
You might find the answers are achievable. When you look back on your career, make sure you’ll be telling a story that makes you proud.
Learn more at http://www.corethemes.com/.
*© 2017 Gallup, Inc. file:///home/chronos/u-70a080066765af84b43aa45c8a251d22152d3e10/Downloads/State%20of%20the%20Global%20Workplace_Gallup%20Report.pdf
By Holly Smevog
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