A guest post by Dani, author and creator of Positively Present.
Did you know that even if you hate your job you can still be happy?
Yep, it’s true! I know it might seem nearly impossible to be happy when you’re spending most of your life in a time-sucking, life-draining, absolutely miserable line of work (or even a job that’s just not all that great), but it is possible to happy even when you’re doing a job you dislike. Hard as it might seem, you can still enjoy your life without enjoying your work.
I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that times are tough. Many of us might dislike our jobs but feel reluctant to search for something new. After all, in an economy like this one, a paycheck is a paycheck. Some of us might feel trapped. We might be taking on more work but without proper compensation. We might even be working harder but making less money.
We might be miserable and then feeling guilty because, hey, at least we have jobs. No matter what your situation, if you don’t like your job you don’t like your job. If you can’t (for whatever reason) get a new job, you might feel stuck, but don’t. You might not be able to change your job, but you can change the way you think about it.
Attitude and perception are so important in every life situation. When it comes to your job, your attitude and your perception can have a huge impact on your work life. I’ve come up with a list of questions to ask yourself about your job that I believe can really transform the way you see your life at work. Working in a job you hate is far from ideal, but if you cannot change it, you’re better off making the best of it. So ask yourself…
What is awesome about my job?
Okay, at first glance your job sucks. You can’t come up with anything you think you like about it, let alone anything that you 
think is awesome about it. It’s not easy to find the good things in something you automatically think of as bad, but it is possible. There has to be something good about your job. There are things that might be small, but there are things that are good about it. Take some time to consider what the good things are and do your best to focus on those things. When you’re feeling bad about your work life, think about those things and remind yourself that it’s not all bad.
Can I make any friends here?
Friends are fun, right? Who doesn’t like friends? At most places you work, you can find someone to befriend. Even if that person is only a work friend, that individual is likely to make your life at work a lot better. I have a great friend at work and every day she’s not there I definitely feel like work isn’t as good. It’s wonderful to have someone to bond with, to talk about coworkers and work situations with, and to share in the good and bad of working for your company. If you don’t have any friends at work, take some time to reach out to your coworkers. Knowing you have a buddy at the office will make coming to work a lot better.
Can I incorporate what love doing into my job?
Depending on what it is you love to do, you might be able to incorporate that into your working experience. For example, I really love to organize things so I’ve often asked colleagues or bosses if I could help them organize their offices. Also, I love to write and edit documents, so I always let my employers know that and they usually give me writing or editing tasks. Think about what you love to do. Can you incorporate it into your work? I’ll admit that the things I love to do are pretty work friendly so I know this might not work for everyone, but give it a shot and try to think outside the box.
Who can I learn from at my company?
I know it’s tempting to think everyone at your office is a total idiot when you hate your job, but when you think about it logically, you know that can’t be true. There have to be some people in your work that have some insights to offer you. Spend some time thinking about how you can get to know the people at your job who know the most about your industry or about what you’re interested in. Also, figure out what people like outside of work. You might find that a coworker is a big fan of music just like you and you can learn about new bands from him or her. For me, learning is so important and there are so many different ways you can learn. Figure out what you can learn from those around you at work and you’ll probably have a more enjoyable experience every day.
Can I take away any lessons from this job?
Yes, your tasks might seem mindless and repetitive, but in most cases you can learn something from what you’re doing. When you start to think about it, there’s probably something you’re learning or perfecting every time you do a routine task. You’re getting better at something or, if you’re lucky, you’re given the opportunity to learn new things. Think about what you can take away from this job and take with you to the next one. When you realize that the things you are doing can help you at another job (or maybe even in other aspects of your life), you’re likely to be more interested and excited about them. If your tasks are completely miserable, look around and see if there’s anything else you can help out with that might interest you.
Am I focusing on the negative here?
No matter what the situation, if you continue to focus on what’s bad about it, you’re going to keep seeing what’s bad about it. When I first started my job, I always whining about how bored I was, how much I hated the work. I would bitch about how I’d gone to college for six years in order to work as an assistant, filing and answering phones and scheduling meetings. I was completely negative about everything, which, of course, made everything worse. Now I’m working at the same place and I’ve moved up. I’m doing things that interest me more and, even when I have to do things I don’t want to do, I try to focus on the positive. And you know what? It works. I’m a lot happier at work now and I know it’s 100% due to my attitude change.
How can I act happier?
It’s not easy to act happy when you’re not feeling happy but studies have shown (sorry, I don’t recall which studies, but if you’re interested in learning more about this, check out The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want) if you pretend to be happy—force yourself to smile, be nice to others, etc.—you actually start to feel happier. Yes, I know this isn’t easy for most people to do. When I’m not happy it’s generally pretty obvious (even to complete strangers!) so I get that it’s not all that easy to be happy at work when you’re really miserable and seething inside, but give it a shot. It’s worth a try to smile and see if forcing it makes it any better. It just might work!
What can I improve outside of work?
So you’ve done everything you can think of to improve your work life and it’s still not ideal. What now? My advice would be to focus on what you’re doing outside of work. Even if you work a lot, there are still times when you’re not at work. What are you doing with that time? Are you spending it doing the things you really love to do? I know it
’s tempting after a long day of work to just veg out on the couch (trust me, this is one of my favorite post-work pastimes), but don’t. If you spend the time you’re not at work doing the things you love to do, you’ll be a lot less bitter when you’re at the office.
Instead of thinking, “I could be doing something else instead of sitting in this miserable cubicle,” you’ll be thinking, “Man, I’m looking forward to doing that thing I love to do after work today!” Make the most of your non-work time and your work time will be a lot less unhappy.
Anyone who doesn’t have their dream job (a.k.a. most of us) knows that sometimes it can be a real drag to go to work. The tasks can be boring, the boss can be a pain, and the hours can drag endlessly, but if you have to be there thinking about your job negatively isn’t going to make the experience any better.
For many lucky people, there are opportunities to change careers or to start up a business, but for the rest of us—those who have to stay in our jobs, at least for right now—work can be a really big pain. However, if you think negatively and you choose not to focus on the positive, you’re only making it worse for yourself. Do you want to make it worse or make it better? Yeah, that’s what I thought. We all want to enjoy work more, and I really do believe—after having experienced a personal attitude change myself—that it’s possible. As the old adage goes, “attitude is everything.” You may not be able to change your tasks, your job, or your career path, but you can change your attitude.
Try, even just for a little bit, to have a positive attitude when you go to the office. Try your hardest to be positive and to remember that just because you hate your job doesn’t mean you have to hate your life.
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Dani is a twenty-something who, after years of living under a dark cloud of woe-is-me, has decided this will be the year she learns to live positively in the present moment. Through the creation of her blog, Positively Present (along with some pretty awesome therapy and the help from family and friends), Dani, a self-proclaimed former Eeyore, is working to spend more time living in the present and making her life more positively aware.
Dani’s blog embraces the idea of “living happily ever after now” by focusing on all things positive— quotes, books, stories, songs, situations, people, blogs, websites, ideas, images, notions, emotions.
Dani is also the creator and author of Hope Springs Internal, a blog focusing on the positive representations of women in the media. You also find Dani on Twitter @positivepresent and on Facebook as Positively Present.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks so much Dani! These are timeless words and creative ideas. You always provide such positive energy in your writing. So glad to have you as part of the team!
Dani,
It's great to see you here! And another uplifting article!
This reminds me of the first job I had out of college. The mood at the place was lethargic, and yet, the boss I had was the best boss I've ever had. And there was so much I learned from him, even though I didn't really like my job at all. Principles that continue to be with me today. And it fits so well with what you've written. It's about finding the good, even in what seems like a bad situation. And remembering that going forth.
Great thoughts! And great to be introduced to this wonderful place!
Hi Lance! Thanks so much for stopping by – I agree – Dani has an amazing perspective and is also an amazing writer. Your comment was extremely thoughtful and something that I'm sure we've all been able to relate to at one point or another – and probably will encounter again at some point. I'll probably post all of Dani's work on my bulletin board one day as fantastic reminders :)
Hi Dani! I went through a very similar thought process last December. To help me remember the good things about my job, I wrote them all out on a piece of paper and taped them to the inside of my front door so I could read them every morning right before I went out to work. It absolutely kept me focus on the positive points of my job.