Karl at Work Happy Now declared October 5 Happy at Work Action Day. In honor of that I spent some time thinking about my own work happiness and how I got here.
Because I haven’t always been happy at work.
WORK UNHAPPINESS…THE SHORT VERSION
For most of the 10 years I worked as a market research professional, I experienced work unhappiness. Work is boring; the pay isn’t enough: complain, complain, complain. In my last job fear and anger took over as I “protected” myself from the environment. I yelled, screamed and even cursed at colleagues. Several years have passed since those days and still I blush with embarrassment at my behavior. I became so angry during the day I couldn’t take it anymore and with very little preparation, I made the emotional decision to quit the corporate world and start my own business.
Self-employment was the key to my work happiness, right?
Then why, several months later was I still miserable and still complaining?
I began to think something was wrong with me.
That’s when I began to dig deep – to figure out why work made me so unhappy.
VALUES, STRENGTHS AND LIKES
I discovered many reasons for my unhappiness. I also discovered that if I wanted to make a shift I needed to:
- Identifying what I enjoy
- Identifying my strengths (Taking into account feedback from others)
- Identifying my core values
4 values emerged: Experience, Guide, Fun, Feel Good
Before I identified my values I often used those words/phrases intuitively – referring to myself as a guide and always providing experiences during my talks and of course yoga classes. And if fun isn’t involved, why bother? It’s in those moments when I embody all 4 values that I’m at my best.
The funny thing is, these values have always been there. They were hidden under the guise of what I SHOULD do and the belief that in order to make money, work wouldn’t be fun.
I used to day dream about my perfect work environment: A place where people could talk freely and work = laughing a lot and having fun! In many of my work scenarios today I have that.
For me work happiness wasn’t as simple as choosing happiness. Identifying my likes, strengths and values has made all the difference in how I approach my work. I needed to go through my own process, heal some old wounds and identify what is important to me. For a long time I didn’t think I’d ever be happy at work. With time, patience and a willingness to be open, it became a little easier.
These days when I’m feeling stuck or lacking inspiration I check in with my core values and often find that I’m “out of alignment”. When I get nervous about presenting in front of a new group I remind myself – guide them through an experience that is fun and feels good! When I do, my audience has fun and feels good. And I do, too.
What about you? How do you find work happiness? Do you struggle?
Karl at Work Happy Now declared October 5 Happy at Work Action Day. In honor of that I spent some time thinking about my own work happiness and how I got here.
Because I haven’t always been happy at work.
WORK UNHAPPINESS…THE SHORT VERSION
For most of the 10 years I worked as a market research professional, I experienced work unhappiness. Work is boring; the pay isn’t enough: complain, complain, complain. In my last job fear and anger took over as I “protected” myself from the environment. I yelled, screamed and even cursed at colleagues. Several years have passed since those days and still I blush with embarrassment at my behavior. I became so angry during the day I couldn’t take it anymore and with very little preparation, I made the emotional decision to quit the corporate world and start my own business.
Self-employment was the key to my work happiness, right?
Then why, several months later was I still miserable and still complaining?
I began to think something was wrong with me.
That’s when I began to dig deep – to figure out why work made me so unhappy.
VALUES, STRENGTHS AND LIKES
I discovered many reasons for my unhappiness. I also discovered that if I wanted to make a shift I needed to:
4 values emerged: Experience, Guide, Fun, Feel Good
Before I identified my values I often used those words/phrases intuitively – referring to myself as a guide and always providing experiences during my talks and of course yoga classes. And if fun isn’t involved, why bother? It’s in those moments when I embody all 4 values that I’m at my best.
The funny thing is, these values have always been there. They were hidden under the guise of what I SHOULD do and the belief that in order to make money, work wouldn’t be fun.
I used to day dream about my perfect work environment: A place where people could talk freely and work = laughing a lot and having fun! In many of my work scenarios today I have that.
For me work happiness wasn’t as simple as choosing happiness. Identifying my likes, strengths and values has made all the difference in how I approach my work. I needed to go through my own process, heal some old wounds and identify what is important to me. For a long time I didn’t think I’d ever be happy at work. With time, patience and a willingness to be open, it became a little easier.
These days when I’m feeling stuck or lacking inspiration I check in with my core values and often find that I’m “out of alignment”. When I get nervous about presenting in front of a new group I remind myself – guide them through an experience that is fun and feels good! When I do, my audience has fun and feels good. And I do, too.
What about you? How do you find work happiness? Do you struggle?