Unhappy at work?

Recently I read an article highlighting seven key signs that you are unhappy at work. I had to pause and wonder why it would take anyone seven signs to realize that they were unhappy at work. Perhaps the clearest sign is that you hate getting up and heading to work every day and just in case you need a second, you cannot wait for your work day to end so you can leave your job. To my way of thinking the first sign is enough of a reason, but if you needed a little more reinforcement for those who just want to be extra sure go to the second sign. But dear lord anyone who is unhappy at their job doesn't need seven signs. Perhaps a shrink but not seven signs!

The more important question to ask yourself is whether there is a job that you can find where you will be happy every day and if there is how do you go about finding it? Before you can find all this out you have to figure out what this job must look like for you.

You see happiness or unhappiness always leads back to yourself and understanding the basics about yourself. Whether it be in work or in love, first we must understand who we are before we can go and find a job or a person who is compatible with us. When it comes to love many of us understand the things we like and don't like, what we will and won't do and usually have a clear understanding of the partner we are looking for and how we want to share our life. We've been brought up, taught and had numerous role models to follow in our understanding of finding the right partner. 

However, when it comes to finding the perfect job, that is our perfect fit we are most often completely unprepared.  Other than those lucky few who always knew what they wanted to be; a Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant or Engineers, I suspect like most people you had no clue what you were going to ending doing for employment let alone how to go about figuring that out. Does anyone ever remember discussing with their parents what they love about their job or whether they love it at all? My parents would have looked at me like I had grown a third head if I asked that question. 'What are you asking?, they would say, I work what does loving work have to do with work, work is work"

So you see, I thought exactly the same way for years until I came to a point in time after a very successful career in finance staring at the fact that I could not get a job anywhere let alone something that I thought I was a fit for. What I realized was that nobody out there had any idea of what I brought to the table, hell neither did I, I thought of myself in terms of what job titles I had held over my work life, not what I was a good fit for. So when faced with the prospect of unemployment with six kids I realized the old adage, "necessity is the mother of invention" 

So I quickly had to figure out what I was good at who out there needed what I was good at doing and who hopefully wanted me to work with them both in skills and personality. So before I could figure out who needed and wanted me, I had to figure who ‘me’ was and would anyone pay for me?. What kind of people would I work best with?

What I find truly remarkable is how long people will tolerate their own unhappiness at work. Even more incredible is that fact that they show absolutely no interest and take no initiative to change that. It's almost as if we have all been raised to believe that work and happiness are mutually exclusive terms.

NEWS FLASH folks, you don't need to be unhappy at work. But you do need to do some work to find that perfect situation for you and it starts with figuring out yourself so that when you are doing your job search you are searching in your target rich environment (TRE). You TRE is the place that needs you and your skills.

So, unhappy at work folks , it’s not going to change by sitting miserable at your desk. Last I checked life is not a dress rehearsal so get up off your duffs, make it your New Year’s resolution to put some serious effort into finding the right fit for you and as they say " Figure out what you love and get paid for doing it"

All that stands in the way of a happy job is "YOU and some hard WORK"