Do you like your job? If you’re studying, do you like the course you’re doing? If you’re like most people you probably ‘put up with’ your vocation, and are not nearly as satisfied with it as you wish you were. It’s like dealing with “Mondayitis.” It’s that emotional ‘illness’ that you get on a Sunday night prior to going to work Monday. Its symptoms are anything from grieving the end of your weekend, to not being able to stand the prospect of waking the following morning and facing the inevitable ‘Monday’ destination.
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Most of us have no idea how to enjoy our work or vocation, I mean really enjoy it; to actually look forward to going there, and getting involved and engrossed in what you do. It may seem a drag, or be plain boring, or there might be troublesome relationships to deal with—those sap our enthusiasm for work instantly. But just think, we’ll spend a quarter of our lives working for a living — we might as well enjoy it and not waste that substantial part of our lives, spending it in absolute misery.
Most of us have no idea how to enjoy our work or vocation, I mean really enjoy it; to actually look forward to going there, and getting involved and engrossed in what you do. It may seem a drag, or be plain boring, or there might be troublesome relationships to deal with—those sap our enthusiasm for work instantly. But just think, we’ll spend a quarter of our lives working for a living — we might as well enjoy it and not waste that substantial part of our lives, spending it in absolute misery.
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What do we need to do to change-up here, and realise some real job/course/career satisfaction? What makes the difference and gets us actually looking forward to getting up on Monday morning? How do we burst out of bed saying, “Okay Day, here I come!!”
What do we need to do to change-up here, and realise some real job/course/career satisfaction? What makes the difference and gets us actually looking forward to getting up on Monday morning? How do we burst out of bed saying, “Okay Day, here I come!!”
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I remember getting a cute little note in my lunchbox once from a housemate that illustrates the point well. It wasn’t until lunch time arrived that I realised the note was even there. As I opened my lunchbox I noticed a strip of paper in it; “cool, a note,” I thought! The note said, “Be good and have fun playing nicely with the other boys and girls.” It made me laugh. I was in my mid- to late-thirties, studying at seminary, and I was reading something written for the kid in me. It’s brilliant what it did for me. It took me away from the serious adult world and made me see the fun in the moment, and the sheer wonder of being there.
I remember getting a cute little note in my lunchbox once from a housemate that illustrates the point well. It wasn’t until lunch time arrived that I realised the note was even there. As I opened my lunchbox I noticed a strip of paper in it; “cool, a note,” I thought! The note said, “Be good and have fun playing nicely with the other boys and girls.” It made me laugh. I was in my mid- to late-thirties, studying at seminary, and I was reading something written for the kid in me. It’s brilliant what it did for me. It took me away from the serious adult world and made me see the fun in the moment, and the sheer wonder of being there.
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And this is what we need. The ability to lighten up around our work, and not take everything so seriously, is such an important mental attitude and character trait if we want longevity in anything worthwhile. This is real staying power. We need to be resilient, and we can’t be truly resilient without seeing our true self comfortable in the situation.
And this is what we need. The ability to lighten up around our work, and not take everything so seriously, is such an important mental attitude and character trait if we want longevity in anything worthwhile. This is real staying power. We need to be resilient, and we can’t be truly resilient without seeing our true self comfortable in the situation.
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Our career is our playground. It’s a place to have our most fun, and not be unstimulated and hate the whole experience. We need to work on our relationships at work and not be afraid of injecting appropriate humour into situations to help people laugh and enjoy their time with us. It’s our place in the world where we can be our most inventive, creative and productive. We’re in our positive “inner” child state when we’re creating and ‘playing.’ This is a great ‘place’ for an adult to be.
Our career is our playground. It’s a place to have our most fun, and not be unstimulated and hate the whole experience. We need to work on our relationships at work and not be afraid of injecting appropriate humour into situations to help people laugh and enjoy their time with us. It’s our place in the world where we can be our most inventive, creative and productive. We’re in our positive “inner” child state when we’re creating and ‘playing.’ This is a great ‘place’ for an adult to be.
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Another great thing regarding our playground is we can enjoy “exploring” the things to do within it, and by that I mean, planning our day, week and month and deciding what we’d like to achieve; and also spending time reflecting on what we’ve achieved. It’s such a great feeling giving ourselves a little pat on the back for a task well done, or a project completed on time and on budget. We can even identify times and situations where others have helped in the achievement of these tasks and take time out to relate with them, our pleasure, encouraging them as we go.
Another great thing regarding our playground is we can enjoy “exploring” the things to do within it, and by that I mean, planning our day, week and month and deciding what we’d like to achieve; and also spending time reflecting on what we’ve achieved. It’s such a great feeling giving ourselves a little pat on the back for a task well done, or a project completed on time and on budget. We can even identify times and situations where others have helped in the achievement of these tasks and take time out to relate with them, our pleasure, encouraging them as we go.
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The career playground ‘philosophy’ is such a great corrective to stress in the workplace.
The career playground ‘philosophy’ is such a great corrective to stress in the workplace.
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You know you might as well enjoy it, work. You’ll be at it for 40-50 years. Got to love that thought, hey? I am not joking; you can.
You know you might as well enjoy it, work. You’ll be at it for 40-50 years. Got to love that thought, hey? I am not joking; you can.
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© Steve J. Wickham, 2008. All rights reserved Worldwide.
© Steve J. Wickham, 2008. All rights reserved Worldwide.
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