Why Do So Many People Hate Their Jobs?
Oh, Right. That.
According to Gallup, a whopping 70% of Americans are either not engaged (read: enthusiastic) at their jobs or downright hate them.
If you walked down the street and asked 10 people if they like going to work in the morning, 7 would say “no” or “not specifically.”
That’s sad. But it’s also a little odd, don’t you think?
I mean, call me crazy, but I think there aren’t that many jobs that warrant being hated all that much. After all, you have a say when you pick your job too.
How could more than half the people choose jobs they know they won’t enjoy? Something smells funny about this mismatch. And I think I know what it is.
Most mornings when I go to the study room at school, I see the cleaning lady do her work. She knows me by now. We have our little routine already:
I smile and nod.
“Good morning!”
She smiles. Nods back.
“Good morning!”
And we both continue on our way, carrying that smile throughout the day.
People hate their jobs because they don’t know they’re the ones supposed to bring meaning, passion and fun to them.
They think: “If only I did X instead of Y, then I would finally be happy.”
But you’ll often find people who hate their current job will hate their next job also. And the next one. And the one after that.
Because it’s not about what you do. It’s about how you choose to do it. The truth is every job offers you the chance to do it with meaning, be passionate about it and have fun along the way.
The question is: will you?
You can bring those things to even the most mundane job in the world.
The cleaning lady and I know what’s up. I’m not psyched about studying, she’s not ecstatic about cleaning, but we both choose to make the best of what is currently our task.
It’s not your job to do your job so you can get paid and go home. It’s your job to do whatever happens to be the to-do of the day with as much meaning, as much passion and as much fun as you can muster.
Once you understand that, you will never hate any job, ever again. Whether it’s a stepping stone or your final destination, you’ll do it like you were born to.
Because you were.
Now excuse me, I have some smiles to hand out.
Worth reading?
Then it might be worth recommending. Hit the heart so someone who might be unengaged at work will see it. 💚
I write more here. First published at www.quora.com.
