5 Ways to Feel Gratitude at Work
Work isn’t always easy. In fact, more often than not, we find ourselves in positions that make us miserable. Or working with people we find completely incompetent. Or dealing with power structures that make absolutely no sense and systems that are so disorganized and out of date that we can find it impossible to do our jobs.
Not to mention the now-fluid nature of the workforce. Gone are the days of career stability and pension plans. A downtick in your company’s finances and no matter how well you did or how hard you worked you could find yourself out the door.
It can be difficult to find a place of gratitude in a culture like that, and I’m no gratefulness guru; but I have cultivated a few strategies that help keep me happy and sane even in the worst of circumstances:
1. Everything is a learning experience
Is your job HORRENDOUS? Have a boss or client that makes you want to pull your hair out? Does John from creative make you want to throw your laptop against a wall and quit? These are all learning experiences for client management and office politics. Each difficult day will prepare you for a time when you have a job with less difficult clients and team members, making any problems with them far easier to solve because you’ve had to deal with the worst of the worst.
2. Cultivate your personal life
If your career is in a lousy place, cultivating a hobby or focusing on personal goals can be a great way to give purpose to your days that don’t revolve around work. During your time off try pursuing your passions and cultivating your relationships with your loved ones. In the end, those are the things that will make your life seem meaningful. We should put as much of ourselves in to those pastimes as we do our work.
3. Build adjacent skills
If you’re looking to step up/out of your current position, take time to do research and build your adjacent skill set. Are you an office manager? Try learning how to create newsletters for company updates. Social media manager? Expand your skills into the world of digital marketing by learning about Google advertising or e-commerce.
4. Keep a Journal
I know, it sounds totally cheesy but it really helps! You don’t need to have a long entry filled with things that you’re grateful for. If you can write down 1-3 things per day that you’re grateful for, it will help you focus on the good parts of your day. Bad moments can really become a highlight in our day and overshadow moments of joy, and this practice helps shift your perspective so they don’t take up so much mental space.
5. This Too Shall Pass
Nothing in life is permanent! This bad day, bad week, or bad job will someday come to an end and you’ll get to move on to bigger and better things. Always keep this in mind and you can make it through the tough times.
There you have it, the five ways that I keep perspective and maintain a sense of gratitude when things get tough on the job. Hopefully they help give you a sense of clarity and an attitude of gratitude.
Do you have any strategies that you like to use? I’d love to hear them!
