Time to be Happy at Work, Part 3 of 3

Don’t move until you’ve thought it out all the way.

It is imperative that you make smart decisions about the work you do. The day is gone that workers were hired and worked for the same company until they retired. We are not that generation and companies are not that committed. Arguably, competition has made that lifestyle obsolete. The game is changing constantly. In the beginning, to be employable one had only to graduate from high school and now college degrees are needed to get a potential employer to even return your phone call. The standards are increasing and the legions of people applying for the same job are insane.

You have to be smart, determined and persistent these days. The internet has shifted the job hunt. I’ve heard some say that finding a new job is a job. Therefore, you have plan and research your way into your next position. Take the time while you’re employed to map out your desirable career. There is an exercise that suggests you write down your strengths and weaknesses, your likes and dislikes and your ideal work environment. It goes on to ask participants to think about their dreams and what they want to accomplish in life. It may seem silly but it is a powerful thing.

Why is it we hate work so much? Could it be that we haven’t spent the time to line these things up with who we are. Many of us get our identity from what we do for a living. If nothing else, we’ll spend about 88,000 hours of our life working. Take a couple hours at least and figure out what you want your work to look like.

Do something every day to get you closer to your dreams.

I heard Oprah say this once and it struck my core. I, like many others, left college with these ideologies of what my career was going to be. Hmmm. Ten years later, I discovered what it was I was supposed to be doing with my life. I found my passion while sitting behind a desk at a bank staring at client’s accounts looking for opportunities to bring in new assets. I was so far off the path that I didn’t even know where to start the journey to my dreams.

So, I picked up the phone book. I called people who were living the lives I was supposed to live and started asking them questions. When I had an idea of the requirements and I had assessed my skills, I started making moves. Within six months I had acquired mentors, created a network and brought my family on board. I volunteered my time in the beginning, foregoing pay, just to get experience (and confirmation that I was on the right track).

Now, five years later, I have a completely different resume and I am only a few steps away from total fulfillment at work. I did it the Oprah way I dedicated myself to my dreams even while I was miles away from them. It will require work but it is necessary to live the life you were designed to live. Do something, everyday. It may include making a phone call to get information or to connect; it may be reading a website or doing homework because you’ve decided you need more schooling. It does not matter how big or how small the task, do it for you.

Darice Rene is Bizrighter. With a passion for business and leadership, she publishes getting through the work week, (www.bizrighter.com) a blog that brings attention to the legions of unhappy employees at work. As someone who has held far too many