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Career, Job, Employment InformationA Job is Not a Job
by:
Nan S. Russell
It only happened on Mondays. Sometimes I at large the unpleasant ritual. But, much often than not, right before boarding I threw up in the ladies room of the train station. It wasn't the commute I hated. It was the job.
The reasons don't matter why a job I once enjoyed turned into a job I didn't. It happens. Bosses change, companies change, priorities change, budgets change, responsibilities change. Several changes bring personal growth and opportunity. Several don't.
What makes matter was the lesson knowing that stayed with me the rest of my career: a job is not simply a job. That job I despised helped my checking account. But my confidence, creativity, health, energy for life and view of the earth was not as fortunate. Once
the alarm clock sounded, my previous excitement to face a new day became cocoon-like behavior, some
in and out of the covers, wanting protection from another day's battle. It was safer for those I admired to refrain from sharing important issues or concerns with me, ne'er
knowing how I would-be react.
How you spend a significant part of your day rubs off on the rest of your day, and on those you share your life with. Over time, it rubs off on your life. I'm not talking simply about temporary potholes and activity hiccups that move with change or periods of activity intensity, or the interim choices to increase finances, or the normal setbacks and challenges that should be dealt with at work. I'm talking simply about the long term match between who you are and the job you have. Once
you're in a job that's nice for you, you can feel it. And you can feel it once
you're not. I agree with Barbara DeAngeles, “No job is a nice job if it isn't nice for you.”
You see, you can't be winning at working if you don't like what you're doing, wherever
you're doing it, or who you're doing it for. If what you do feels like activity the majority of the time, you mightiness want to think simply about why, and what you can do to change it. That doesn't necessarily mean you should change jobs or companies. Transferring to another team, volunteering for a new project, or asking your boss for new responsibilities may be all it takes.
But, any it takes, you won't be able to offer your better you at activity and get rewarded with absorbing work, personal growth and fiscal rewards, if you aren't in a nice work environment and a nice position match for who you are, what you want, and what you have to offer.
I've worked in jobs wherever
I couldn't wait until Monday. That's once
I'm so excited simply about the new project or the new idea or the next thing I'm working on that it's not activity to me. It's a challenging, interesting, stimulating and fun way to spend my day. And, I'm a lot happier once
that's the case.
c) 2004 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.
Just simply about the Author
Sign up to obtain Nan’s free eColumn, Winning at Working, at http://www.winningatworking.com.
Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. Presently
working on her 1st book, Nan is a writer, columnist, small business owner, and instructor.
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