What are Some Ways I Can Improve My Job Situation?

We often hear, “You are exactly where you are supposed to be.” How can this be so when we are completely dissatisfied with where that is? Thankfully, not everyone is discontent with their current job or life situation. For those of us who are, the dissatisfaction is in place to get us to change it up. It is a helpful catalyst. However . . .

Most people do not like change.

We can think of a million reasons why we cannot get out of our situation.

In fact, we are masters at making excuses. That said, perhaps you aren’t willing to get out of your job or life situation right now. You feel like you cannot change due to money issues. Maybe you like the people you work with even though the job isn’t satisfying. Perhaps you love the job and dislike the people with whom you work. Your job may feel pointless and you know there is something more out there. I am not talking about making your job easier. This is about making your job and life more satisfying and rewarding when you are not ready to change it up. (Can’t take it another minute? Ready to make a change, call me. I can help.) If not, here are . . .

Ten things you can do to make your situation better while waiting for the perfect time to change

1. Intentions Work

Take a moment in the morning to set a positive intention for the day. Say something like, “This is going to be a terrific day. People are helpful, supportive, and receptive to my suggestions/input/advice. They treat me with respect and value my contribution.” Intentions work. You have nothing to lose.

2. I am Unique

Write down what you bring to the workplace or life situation that is unique. I have often thought the only unique thing I bring to the workplace is Enthusiasm. Yes, even that has value. Stick the list in your wallet or purse so that you can refer to it when necessary. Or merely hold that idea in your mind, knowing that YOU know you bring something special to the situation.

3. Bring the Latte

You can bring someone a latte, lend an ear, be the sounding board, or congratulate a co-worker on his or her performance. When we help others, we inadvertently help ourselves. Helping feels good.

4. There is Good in Every Situation

Sometimes just looking for the good in something makes it more satisfying. Write down three ways you are benefiting from the job or life situation in which you find yourself. Additionally, write down who is benefiting from your work? Who are you helping by having your job or being in your situation?

5. People, Planet, Purpose.

Chances are you are working your butt off for “The Man,” and that is not what we want to do. Add something to your job description that is people/planet/purpose oriented, rather than merely profit generating. If we can view our situation from a higher perspective, we might find a way to impact people, the planet and find greater purpose for the work we do.

I was once an elementary school secretary. It was at my kids’ school. Embarrassingly, I had a huge ego problem with this job. Though the people I worked with were great and I enjoyed a flexible schedule, it was not easy for me to have this job knowing I held a master degree in business. Ack! That sounds awful. To make it more gratifying, I managed a program at the school called, Art Reach. Through this program, we were able to give our socio-economically diverse students access to unused tickets throughout the community. Many students enjoyed tickets to the theater and the symphony because of this program that I managed at the school. It made me feel like I was doing something good for someone.

6. Off-load Tasks

It is common for people to do things at work for which they are ill-equipped. We may lose our job over our inability to do something well. I suggest having a conversation with your manager to off-load these things and take on different responsibilities that more appropriately utilize your skill set. This effort will show concern for your performance and intent to do better work.

In this age of social media, many students and people I know are being asked to do social media for their company when they are not busy. A social media profile for business needs to be managed properly with consistency and a plan. Unless you know how to do it, it is not easy. Trained people are hired specifically to do social media work. It is not something a person can do just to fill up a loose schedule without also being given some instruction on doing it right. It might be worth a conversation to find something else to fill up empty time or request training to improve the necessary skill.

7. Reward Yourself

Establish a financial goal so you can reward yourself for the hard work. This may mean going for a massage or facial once a month. The small treats we give ourselves may help justify the work until the timing is right to make a change.

8. Volunteer

Often our life is not satisfying because we are not happy with ourselves. Perhaps volunteering for a hospital, school or non-profit will provide the key piece to make our lives more complete. If we are making a difference in some aspect of our life, we may be content with our less-that-satisfying job.

9. Keep Your Eye Out

While a job hunt may not be in the immediate cards, check out job boards or sites that send job openings to you via email. LinkedIn does a good job of matching job openings with your skill set. In the Denver/Boulder area of Colorado, we have Luke’s Circle. They send interesting job openings every day. This will keep you posted on what sorts of jobs are available. You never know when the perfect one is going to pop up in your inbox.

10. Must Haves

I always say, “If you are going to complain about something, have a suggestion for making it better.” Spend some time thinking about what “better” is. Write down the “must haves” for the ideal situation. That becomes the intention of how you want it better, thus triggering The Universe to send it your way while you are moving toward it—meeting in the middle. Don’t be too specific. Provide some room to be amazed at how good it can be.

Rather than complain about the job or situation you are not satisfied with, take a look at what YOU can do to make it better and define what “better” is. We can only change ourselves. However, when we do make a change in our lives, interactions also change, thus resulting in different outcomes. If your intention is positive, the result is most likely going to be positive. If nothing else, a change in your behavior, attitude and perspective will be surprising to others and elicit a new reaction and may enable you to be happier right where you are.