When the alarm clock sounds in the morning, do you groan out loud, dreading the upcoming workday? If so, it’s time to change your mindset. To achieve professional fulfillment, you must adjust personal attitude and reconnect with the job’s purpose.
No Room for the Negative
In a previous blog, we discussed how to find the passion in your work. One thing that was stressed was it all starts with giving yourself an attitude adjustment. It’s surprising how easy it is to find the negative over the positive in any situation. When you feel the negative start to bubble to the surface, stop the negative train of thought, reset and spin whatever was viewed as negative into a positive. It’s easier done than said, trust me.
It’s important to remember, professional fulfillment can never be realized by looking on the “dark side”. Even jobs that require you to think/prepare for the worst-case-scenario (e.g. Red Cross or Homeland Security) require a positive attitude to get the job done (i.e. help people or prevent disasters).
Rediscover Purpose, It’s Still There
Every job exists for a reason. The purpose of some jobs is obvious, take a doctor. The purpose of their job is to heal and/or save a life. However, other jobs, say a worker at a distribution center, not so clear.
However, if you take a moment to consider the outcome of the actions of someone helping a package to get to an end-buyer, purpose starts to take shape. What if the package contained parts to an early detection system for tornados? What if it was a pretty dress for a teenage girl with terminal cancer who will get to attend her prom before she dies? When you put it into perspective, the possibilities to find the purpose for a job are endless.
To rediscover the purpose of your job, try:
- Creating a “Kudos” file noting times a customer/peer/boss gave you positive feedback
- Ask customers/clients/team members why they like doing business with and/or working with you
- Ask colleagues to share positive stories about the organization or encounters they had with customers/clients
It’s all about cultivating the positive. The more you take note of a job’s overarching purpose, the more fulfilled you will on a day-to-day basis. We just need to take the time to step away from negativity and remember that we are all connected in some way, shape or form. Professional fulfillment is not something that just “happens”. We must seek it out and reinforce it, especially when the wake-up alarm sounds on a Monday morning!
Customized Team Building for Your Organization’s Needs
Larry Lipman has facilitated team building activities for educators, sales professionals, and management personnel through fun team building games like ropes course for team bonding for over 20 years! Call Larry today at 770-333-3303 for your free 15-minute consultation.