Job satisfaction. Sigh...We tell ourselves no job is perfect. We rationalise the bits we don’t like away - “it could be worse, at least I have a job”. “It pays the bills”. Here are a few things a I found that helped me get a little more joy during a previous career.
But it’s can tip into taking energy away for you and (perhaps if you’ve been taking time out to see how you feel) you might be realise that your job is slowly draining you.
So, while you might not be able to make an instant career U-turn*, I have personally found a few techniques that can help with the day-to-day grind.
Bring a little more of whatever you’re self-censoring to work
The first is understanding which parts of yourself your are self-censoring. I often find that clients often intuitively know which parts of themselves they’re hiding.
Which bits of you do you suppress when you go to work?
If you’re not sure go to the second exercise below.
If you know…make a commitment to bring a little bit of that into the work place each day in one specific way.
For me if was partly feeling a lack of recognition. As I did a bit of digging, this actually can me from me not recognising some parts of my personality at work. I thought they weren’t professional. Specifically, my emotional sensitivity as well as my sense of fun.
So I started bit by bit to allow these parts of me to come out. I’d intentionally share a funny anecdote. I’d own the space around me when I told them. I wouldn’t not tell the story if the office was silent. I’d speak openly about how I was currently feeling but I did this with a sense of confidence and ownership. I was willing for people to judge me. I didn’t do this all the time but I ensured I did it once a day. Over time people started coming to me to ask for advice and/or to present further professional opportunities.
The key with this bit is to be prepared to be rejected and to be confident enough in yourself to do. Allow the real you to show up at work. Watch the change.
Become more emotionally intelligent about yourself during the day
If you’re unsure about whether you feel authentic at work or whether you feel like you’re being fully you, the first step is to become more present. This was game changing for me. I’d place my hand on my heart and just quietly ask myself how I was feeling about three times a day. This allowed me to become more aware of feelings of anxiety or insecurity which meant I could take control of them and let them dissolve away. It helped me get curious about which parts of me weren’t automatically showing-up in my work place,.
Focus before and after your work day on the positive
The third thing I did was practice more gratitude. As much as I possibly could. Morning, noon and night I was finding things to be thankful for.
So, every day before you go to work and every evening before you go to bed, I want you to write down ten things about your day that you can find positivity in - either things you hope to happen if it’s in the am or things that happened if it’s in the pm. Maybe it’s the coffee you get before walking into the office. Maybe one of them is that you responding to a really annoying email in the most constructive way possible. Maybe you managed to tick of your expenses. Maybe this is giving you some experience that will help you take the next step.
Now this isn’t always easy! It might take some time to become aware of which natural qualities you exhibit that you are self-censoring. Coaching can help you become aware of these.
TO SUM-UP IF YOU LIKE GETTING TO THE POINT QUICKLY
I took a much closer and non-judgemental (and kind) look at who I was and the qualities I naturally exhibited. I asked myself: what is making me self-censor this part of me? What are the costs of doing so? Is there really anything that wrong with this quality or experience? This allowed me to have the confidence to start sharing more of these more authentic parts of myself at work. I checked in with myself at work to learn more about what was making me feel dissatisfied. I reframed my focus onto the good things in my day.
This stuff isn’t necessarily easy but the rewards from doing the “inner work” can be exponential.
FEEL LIKE YOU WANT TO DO THIS STUFF BUT DON’T KNOW HOW?
Coaching can help with that. It’s not always required and you may may be able to make the commitment to yourself without it.
A coach keeps you accountable, has most probably done the hard yards themselves (so will know what you’re going trough) and has tools, techniques and skills that can help you figure all of this out in a supportive and at times fun way!
If you want some sessions get in touch. If not (and you want free articles that relate to coaching) then message me bex@delphicoaching.co.uk to tell me what you want to know more about!
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