Finding fulfillment at work becomes increasingly important with every generation of adults. Work is not just about making money, but about giving us a meaning. Something to get up in the morning and enjoy doing. Regardless of age, there are a lot of us that feel confused about, lost or simply despise our jobs. In an economic climate where we can be made to feel lucky just to be in employment, it is easy to feel trapped in your current work role. Becoming fulfilled in your professional life is not something that you can expect to happen overnight, nor something that is constant once you find it. There are 6 things to be doing/thinking about every day in order to improve your chances of finding fulfillment or achievement at work and improving upon it once you do find something that is meaningful.
How to Find Fulfillment at Work – Tips:
1. Accept it is Normal:
With advancements in science, technology and business, comes new job roles. There are now estimated to be near half a million different options in job roles across a range of industries. We are then faced with the paradox of choice. So much choice that we end up not choosing at all. Accept that it is normal to be scared and/or confused. Keep researching and learning about the different jobs that are out there, even if not currently accessible to you.
2. Find out More about Yourself:
You will not know what you want if you don’t know yourself. You can’t just rely on yourself to suddenly have a vocational calling from a mysterious voice inside of your head. Instead you can do a bit of self-analysis. You will, of course have specific tastes, tendencies and inclinations. Try to think of anything you’ve ever enjoyed. Go as far back as school projects or specific subjects. Somewhere will emerge a clearer vision of where your interests and skills lie. You don’t have to use this to suddenly develop a comprehensive plan about where you want to go in life but try to have some ideas. If you have no plan at all, you are put at the mercy of those who do and can become a pawn in their achievements, quite possibly in a way that makes you miserable.
3. Invest Time in your Thoughts:
Allow yourself some solid thought about where you are in life and where you want to be. This is something that needs to be ongoing. Don’t even think about seeing this as self-indulgence. You need to be generous with your time in order for real goals to emerge. Goal that come from within, not those that are promoted by society.
4. Give Anything a Go:
Small steps lead to knowing what you want. Or at least knowing what you do not want. Even if employed in a job you don’t really like, there is nothing stopping you from undertaking a side project. A side project doesn’t even have to be a regular thing if you are strapped for time. Volunteer or shadow someone in a job you may be interested in. Undertake a course or further study. Of course you should stick with someone and give it a go, but if it is just a side project and you really aren’t enjoying it, you have the luxury of being able to stop whenever you want.
5. Pay Attention to Unhappiness:
With every complaint, comes a solution. Not all of these solutions have been found yet. Successful businesses are based on attempts to deliver a solution to a common problem. Entrepreneurs have just been the people to spot problems and make attempts at improvement. Alongside all of the other thinking that you have been doing, now think about your day or another person’s day and everything in it which may be the cause of stress, frustration or unhappiness. Unhappiness really is just a business opportunity waiting to be exploited with some creative thinking. All businesses are really just a service to improve discomfort. We may be a lot better off than past generations have been, but there is still a lot of unhappiness and with that brings opportunity.
6. Be Confident:
Even the most socially confident people can find themselves reluctant to put themselves forward for certain positions professionally. There can be a lack of confidence through internally imposed feudal hierarchy system where individuals see roles for other people, but not suited to themselves. Instead, it should be the case that nobody has to ask for permission or make an excuse for going after what they want. A lack of confidence can be the biggest factor in holding you back from fulfillment because you don’t believe you are good enough to get to where you want.
Author Bio: This guest post is by Laura Morrissey, digital content editor at Disc Assessment. She is a native of Liverpool with an interest in Motivation and Work and passionately writing about them. She shares valuable tips for individuals and teams in working to the best of their ability. Get in touch with her on LinkedIn.
