How passionate are you about your work? Are you focusing on what you want from your career? Do you feel that you deserve promotion and more money? Are you willing to change your mindset to achieve your happiness at work? Sarah Berry, UK career counselling expert and author of five best selling career books, has this advice to offer.
As a career consultant and executive career counselor, it is very rare to get a note from someone saying, ‘I am the person who needs to change’. Of course you know deep down that it is you who needs to change but do you take the necessary action? Instead of seeing the weaknesses in the other person, deal or company, do you need to redirect your thoughts and think about what changes you need to make to bring about your own personal happiness at work?
Thinking of a new career in London?
Failing to get the job you want
Have you gone after a job you really wanted, either within your current company or externally? Did you feel that you deserved it but you didn’t get it? How did you react and deal with that situation? Did you respond with anger or jealously? Who did you blame? Did you put it down to the interviewer, recruitment consultant, the economic climate, timing, or circumstances? In reality, these are things which couldn’t answer back and tell you the truth.
Think about the things that make you happy. How different are you? How do you respond when you feel good? Being cautious of emotions that affect your physical and mental state will improve your job prospects. Above all, avoid thinking about the great job that you didn’t get. As a career counselling service we often tell our client that there will always be another better job that you can have.
‘I don’t feel that bad about it’, is also a common reaction. Instead of denial, don’t you need to achieve some sense of satisfaction about your current circumstances? How wide is your perspective on situations? Do you tend to think a situation is all bad or all good? Have you become spoilt? Have you forgotten to appreciate what you do have? Is your lifestyle and spending pushing you to change your job?
I am not in any way suggesting that you need to be complacent with what you have got. Self-development is vital if you want to advance your career and achieve something better. The process starts with you and you need to work out how you can improve things. How and where could you make a positive contribution at work today? You see, it is too easy to put the emphasis in someone else’s hands. At first your contribution will probably feel very, very small indeed and you may even be embarrassed and therefore tempted not even bother to do it. For example, consider a thank-you phone call to someone who helped you last week. Yes, it may be something that you have stopped doing, while you have been so busy rushing to do your daily work that you put off doing it. If you do begin to transform the way you behave, you will soon discover that your energy will change and so will your motivation. Then you look for different things to bring about your personal satisfaction and contentment.
The human aspect
Sometimes it is too easy to forget that your co-workers are human too. They have their own weaknesses, habits and needs and sometimes that gets pushed aside in the daily rush. To get along better with the people you work with, it is vital that you stop seeing them as separate to you and start understanding their personalities better. To build a strong team and to strengthen relationships within that team, it is vital that each person has an insight into each person’s dominant personality characteristics and how these are similar or different to their own.
The result – it is then easier to understand what drives and motivates your boss, co-workers and clients in order to build satisfying, empathetic and deeper working relationships. That way, emotions such as resentment, jealousy, fear, revenge and anger which drive conflict within the workplace can be understood for what they are – a misunderstanding between people.
Money
What price have you paid for your happiness? If you had no restrictions on money, what would you do to make a difference to the lives of others? How important is money to you? How big are your wants? Money of course is important because you need to work for a living. Do you feel that you have to slave at your job? Are you rich in terms of time and a sense of fulfilment? Do you need to review and change your view of money?
Self-Worth
How strong is your sense of self and self-worth? It is vital that you are aware of your own capabilities and strengths at work. Do you look at how you behave and relate to others in the workplace? To progress in your career you have to start to recognise and understand who you really are. There is no need to compete with another person, you just have to release your power and be who you really are. When you have a healthy sense of who you are, you will begin to change the ways you create your own sense of fulfilment and accomplishment.
The key to developing happiness at work is to be open, self-aware and willing to work upon yourself – ideally on a day-to-day basis. When you feel good about your job, you begin to look better and achieve a greater level of personal satisfaction. Whatever you feel would make you happy can be achieved. If you are looking to improve your income, you’ll need to look hard at your beliefs about money. If you are seeking to create more purpose to your work, you’ll need to establish what a job with real meaning ‘means’ to you. If you are looking to improve your lifestyle, you’ll need to focus on and do more of what you really enjoy both at work and at home. Isn’t it time that your personal goals, dreams and aspirations were put in place?
If you are looking for more advice on how to create a greater sense of fulfilment from your work, CLICK HERE.
Plus if you are looking to understand your personal needs and personality you will find it revealing and helpful to fill out a personality profile CLICK HERE.
Alternatively, if you wish to ensure that your CV and LinkedIn profile have the right slant to clinch that special job, then start by getting Sarah Berry and her team to assess your them for you. If you include a note telling Sarah what job you desire, she can give you the personal feedback you are looking for. CLICK HERE for further information.
Feel Free to share your career question with us, and we will offer our professional opinion.
