Until you get the job you love, learn to love the job you have. ~ www.jaywren.com
Learn to love your job. If you have a job, any job, you can learn to love your job until you move on to the place you want to go. If you are a manager, the more pleasure you can find in your job will affect how much enthusiasm, energy, and focus you are able to generate to your team of workers.
A few years ago, I worked out of a beautiful office on a local lake. There were beautiful trees that blossomed in the spring and that kept beautiful purple leaves year-round.
Mallard ducks and Canada geese few in every year and swam on the lake. There was a strip mall next door with an espresso shop and grocery store. There were five restaurants and a take-out-Chinese restaurant within walking distance.
I met all kinds of people in that office complex. Some of them seemed to like to work in this building. Other people were not so crazy about it.
- They did not care for the ducks and geese that could be messy.
- They exterior single-story exposure and the glass walls made them uncomfortable.
- Although locked for privacy to the tenants, the restrooms exited into an open breezeway. To walk back from your office to the restroom you had to go outside and face the elements.
- Because of the open construction of the buildings, people who were not tenants would occasionally sit on the deck on the lake.
- Occasionally skate boarders would invade the parking lot and could be a little annoying with their noise, but they always came later in the day when everyone had gone home. I left them alone, and I think that they would easily get bored with the parking lot that did not offer many ramp challenges left the parking lot vacant for skating boarding.
I could easily name a half a dozen reasons to be grateful to be in that office:
- It was convenient to my home. I could walk to work.
- I could walk out to a deck and sit quietly to clear my mind.
- The strip mall was a terrific place to take a break.
- There were so many great food options.
- The shop owners were friendly and became great neighbors.
- When people came to my office, I was very comfortable see where I worked.
Now, carry my situation forward to your workplace. You can learn to love the work you do and the place where you work. The way you choose to view your work will play a daily role in how you feel about your job.
The way to start to love your work is to make a list of the things that you find rewarding about your work.
Learn to Love Your Job
Here is a comparison table to show you what I have in mind. Do you see your job for the things about which you or about which you can feel grateful?
| Things that Gripe Me | Things for Which I am Grateful |
|---|---|
| Hot work space | The new fans are great! |
| Low wages | I have food on the table. |
| No benefits | |
| Boss is angry | Encourage boss |
| Long commute | Love the radio talk shows: better work than no work |
| Long commute | Love the radio talk shows |
| Stupid Co-workers | I can help the team |
| Boring work | I can bring creativity |
| Noisy place | I will have better tomorrows |
| Work if unfulfilling | The work is far better work than no work |
| Dead-end job | I will have better tomorrows |