Happiness is relative. Depending on who you are and how you are put together, depending on your life experiences and how you see life happening in front of you, happiness is attainable to some degree. Even if it’s in the superficial. Of course, we are all wanting to strive for greater fulfillment and happiness in life. And for the most part, we know essentially how to improve our station in life and at least some of our circumstances. But we all know that one major key to satisfaction and contentment — to real happiness — is how we respond to the circumstances around us.
This is certainly true in our jobs, where we spend most of our time.
Regardless of our position at work or our responsibilities, or even our colleagues and managers, we can improve the way we relate to our job and the people we work with each day. In the end, we can be happier and more fulfilled if we simply change our attitude over the long haul. This doesn’t mean that we’re stuck in a dead-end job or that we won’t be looking for a more fulfilling role in the future. But it could mean that we can feel better about going to work every day and making a difference in the here and now.
Forbes contributor Dr. Tracy Bower writes of the happiness factor in her insightful article titled Learn to Love Your Job (Even If You Don’t Right Now). She writes:
“There are proven ways to fall in love with your job, or even just like it a little more. But it’s also important to know there is no perfect job. There will always be things you love as well as things you dislike. The best formula for loving your work is to find as much alignment as you can between what you love to do, and what you must spend time on.”
Dr. Tracy Bower, Forbes
Bower expands on this formula with five keys to improving your outlook on work:
- Love your contribution
- Love the learning
- Love your coworkers
- Love what work buys
- Love the routine and stimulation
(Read Bower’s entire article here.)
Looking at what you can contribute to your project, team, and company can provide a big lift to how you feel about what you are tasked to do. Challenging yourself to learn what it takes to be a better team member or project leader or product developer, etc., can encourage your long-term contentment that there’s more to your job than just what happens today. Bower concludes:
“A myth of happiness is that if you’re not happy all the time, you’re doing something wrong. This isn’t true. There will always be more you want. This is part of the human condition. You’ll want to participate on the interesting new project or get that next role. You’ll set goals for pay increases or promotions or a broadened network. But don’t let unfilled desires be a barrier to happiness.
At the right time, when you sense that have you contributed all you can and learned all you can in a particular role, it may be time to reach out to see what your next challenge is in your career. Specially trained recruiters in your industry can introduce you to opportunities that fit your new level of expertise, education, and aspirations. Core Technology Solutions has been helping top talent in the IT space for more than 30 years. Let us know how we can help you keep that momentum going.