Every employee may have experienced, at some point in time, the sinking feeling of being trapped in a job that is less than ideal. The immediate response, instinctively, might be to seek out a more fulfilling role. However, as many disenchanted employees will testify, this isn’t always a viable solution. In the book Don’t Call It Quits: Turn the Job You Have into the Job You Love, renowned journalist Shana Lebowitz Gaynor offers an alternative path. Her practical tips provide the necessary tools to help one start the transformative journey towards reshaping their current job.
Reshaping your job satisfaction is in your hands
A fundamental step towards reconciling with your current job is acknowledging that you hold the reins. Choosing to stay in your current role for a rational reason is an act of asserting your own agency. The choice to stay doesn’t necessarily sentence you to a dull or miserable work life. In fact, by assuming responsibility for your work experiences, you’ll likely find that you can shape it far more than you initially believed.
The key to job satisfaction lies in understanding and addressing specific issues
Begin to enhance your daily work experience by identifying the real issues at hand. Strive to comprehend the core causes of your discontentment. This process will facilitate a more rational understanding of what you seek and what you’d prefer to avoid in a job.
What you yearn to transform is not necessarily the role or workplace itself, but your daily emotional experience. Your mission is to delve into these emotions and decipher their origins.
When you’re able to link your sentiments about work to specific tasks, interactions, situations, or patterns, you’ll be well-equipped to initiate positive transformations.
Find passion in your work by redefining what meaningful work means to you
The concept of meaning varies from person to person. When you express a desire to experience more passion or purpose in your job, what does that entail for you? To make progress on this front, you need to define what meaningful work means to you, considering the talents and opportunities you already have.
There are numerous ways of finding meaning in a job. You likely don’t need to be saving lives daily to feel that your work contributes positively. Often, people merely wish to know that they are valued and that their work somehow benefits others and aligns with some of their fundamental values.
Drive changes in your role to create a more fulfilling work experience
Transform your role without making an exit. Keep in mind that there are numerous facets to your daily work experience, thus offering a wide array of means to enhance it. Your focus could be on your everyday tasks, your relationships, or merely a shift in your viewpoint. ‘Small victories’ throughout the working day can have big impacts on our emotions.
Another tactic is to create a “trigger” list of negatives, such as challenging colleagues or insufficient resources, and come up with potential solutions for each issue. Proactively addressing these issues may provide a morale boost and you’ll feel less confined.
Focus on personal growth and recognition to enhance your job engagement
Concentrate on your personal development, such as honing new skills and abilities, or working towards a new goal. Doing these yields two substantial advantages.
Firstly, when the moment arrives to seek a new job, your demonstrated initiative and capacity for growth will be attractive to potential employers. Secondly, your new skills and abilities will make you more employable. You may also discover that acquiring expertise on a certain topic heightens your interest in it, bolsters your self-confidence, or brings you recognition. Even if your job has not technically changed, you will likely feel more positive about it.
Foster a rewarding life beyond work to reduce job-dependent happiness.
Bear in mind, that your job represents just one facet of your life.
Nurture a rewarding life outside of your job, so that your contentment depends less on your occupation. Elevating your everyday work experience is beneficial, but the life you lead outside of your professional commitments is also important to nurture.
When you broaden your identity to encompass a new pastime, you’re less likely to obsess over a single facet of it, such as your employment.
Many individuals discover that their capacity to tolerate their day job is enhanced when they are engaged in an interesting hobby, a challenging side project, or a fulfilling volunteer pursuit. These activities can help you mentally disengage from work during your off-duty hours or even reduce your work hours altogether.
Satisfaction at work lies in reshaping your role, not quitting.
Staying in a role you find disagreeable is not a sign of defeat, but rather, an exercise of choice and control – you are not ensnared. The journey towards job satisfaction is not a one-way street with quitting being the sole option.
In essence, transforming the job you have into the job you love is about harnessing your choices and proactively shaping your work experience. It’s about exploring the options available to you, implementing small changes, and drawing on the experiences of others. By doing so, you can shift your mindset, redefine your job satisfaction, and get more out of your job, and life.
This article is co-created by NexPage, a translated book summary app, and CareersCompass by MyCareersFuture.
