I don’t always love my job
and it's totally fine. The clue is to have this feeling less often than actually enjoying what you do.
Welcome back after the holiday break. I hope you had a lovely time off in whatever manner that was best for you. The title of this week’s newsletter may seem not very positive as for the first blog in a new year, but I hope the read below will be inspirational for you!
Are there people who love every single thing about their job? Every task, every client, every project, every deliverable they need to create? I truly believe there are, but I am not one of them, and I am not ashamed to admit it. Let me tell you why.
It can sound weird or far-fetched, but I seriously think that too much of anything is not a good thing. It often happens that if everything is perfect, then you simply don’t appreciate it. You get so used to being 100% comfortable and to the fact that everything comes easy for you that you 1) become lazy 2) stop caring 3) stop working towards reaching new goals or towards a better version of yourself.
I am not saying we should all struggle in dirt, sweat and blood to only then appreciate our successes. I would actually hate it 😂 But if you, indeed, need to put effort into your tasks to succeed with them, then you truly appreciate the whole process. It gives you this feeling of accomplishment, and makes you proud of yourself. And this is what works best for me in staying motivated and hungry for more.
You sometimes take up a project that is below your expectations or not exactly your dream one
This is fine. We all need to pay the bills, pay our employees and basically have the cash flow in the right place. If this is one project once in a while, not every (or every second) one, then you don’t need to worry. It especially works in the creative field. Sometimes, you agree to do that boring/not-your-style assignment to make sure your finances are steady, and then you have that other dream client with this crazy-ass cool project you can do for them. Balance is everything. And imagine how exciting and rewarding this new project will be after some struggles!
You are not super excited about some of your clients
Similarly as in the previous example: If this is a marginal thing, it is okay. It is normal. You don’t love all the people in the world and you are not interested in all industries there are. So chances are, you won’t be excited about everything.
If you still manage to provide this client with the same quality and professional services you do for all the other clients and you don’t make them feel they are not your favourite, then there is no problem with that. Just stay professional. Maybe it takes you more effort to get their tasks done (it’s always more fun to check the cool stuff off of your list), but then if you deliver them a good win, the satisfaction is even bigger.
You don’t like some of your colleagues / employees
That’s a tricky one. Is it a problem? I will answer with every therapist’s favourite phrase: It depends.
If you work in a team of 6 and you seriously don’t like someone on your team, it can be a problem. Smaller teams work together much closer, and chances are you are spending lots of time with this person (virtually or IRL). If there’s one thing you don’t like about them: I don’t know, they eat too loud or are oversharing (link to previous blog), or are not doing their tasks correctly, there is still hope to sort it out. We wrote here and here about how to solve some of these issues.
However, if it’s something totally not to work with, and you don’t see any conditions for change (mediation, changing the department, working on yourself and your approach if this makes sense in that case), be honest with yourself. If collaborating with that person for 4-5 days a week everyday for the next couple of years is something you see as a real torture, think about changing your job.
The only thing you’re waiting for during the weekday is for it to be over
This is not a good sign. If you don’t have any pleasure whatsoever in the job you have, you are already stressed on a Sunday night and from Monday on you are counting the hours until Friday 5 PM, something is definitely wrong.
Most of us spend so much time at work, that it’s simply a waste of our lives to do things we hate. This is a sign for you to rethink your position. Check out the further reading section for more inspo. I’ll be back with more on the I hate my job trend in my next piece.
But, to sum it up, if you have issues with work sometimes, please know that it’s absolutely normal and yes, most of us do, even if you don’t see it on our Instagram stories 😅 If you love every single aspect of your job, great for you! Please share your story with us (we’re also open for contributed posts if you’re interested!) And… if you really, really **struggle at your current work, please, be good to yourself and think about changing it. Change is scary but can open up so many better opportunities!
Sending you support and only good energy! Until the next time.
XX
Michalina
Further reading (and listening):
Happiness Traps. How we sabotage ourselves at work by Annie McKee for Harvard Business Review
The secrets of people who love their jobs by Shane Lopez for TEDxLawrence
5 steps to designing the life you want by Bill Burnett for TEDxStanford
How to find and do work you love by Scott Dinsmore for TEDxGoldenGatePark
What's really behind our Sunday scaries? by Rachel Pipan for Nice Work