Unahppy at Work? 3 Things You Can Do Today!

If you're unhappy at work, rest assured that things will change. As with all things, you can be a part of the change in positive or negative ways.

We all can’t be astronauts, professional athletes, dolphin trainers or test pilots -- some of us have to work for a living. I’m not implying that the people in those professions don’t work, I’m suggesting that some jobs might not seem like work. Unfortunately, I don’t have one of those jobs and I’m guessing you don’t either. For the majority of us, work is a daily grind of repeating the same repetitive task day after day, month after month, year after year while spending eight or more hours a day with arrogant, ignorant bosses and surly co-workers.

There is, however, hope for us drones. A change is coming. It may not be today, tomorrow or even this year, but your present situation will change. It has to, it’s the law. Okay, maybe not the law, but it is a law. It’s known as 'The Universal Law of Impermanence', which states that everything changes. You may have also heard that “change is the only constant”. Some change comes rapidly and some change takes eons, but eventually everything changes. You could find another job, get a promotion or transfer, or maybe your unfair boss or troublesome colleague will leave. Eventually the situation will change -- it has to.

There are 3 things you can do now if you hate your job:

1. Stay

While I didn’t state that the 3 things would all be agreeable, I think you’ll see my point. Staying is a choice. Regardless of what you or others might be saying, staying is not necessary. There are different levels of soul-sucking jobs. Some may suck your soul in the morning but are fine by quitting time. Others may have a certain time of year and then there are those jobs that you feel sucking your soul away before you’ve entered and well after you leave. Staying at these jobs is taking action. It may not be the action you would like to take but it is essentially taking action in a safe, secure way. Letting your time and your life slip before you in hopes that the inevitable changes will occur before you shuffle off this mortal crust. I suggest that you determine what level of soul-sucking you can handle and bunker down.

2. Leave

If you feel the life draining out of you Sunday evening in anxiety- induced preparation for Monday morning-GET OUT! No job is worth that! Many career consultants will tell you that the best way to build your resume or CV and greatly increase your income is to switch jobs regularly. Always on the lookout for the lower level jobs that will allow you to increase your experience or expertise in an area so you can get the mid-level job and so on. In today’s world, no company expects you to stay with them for 50 years. In fact it would be ridiculous to do so. A newly minted graduate will likely earn 1/2 or more of the salary it took you 50 years to accomplish. In worst case scenarios they earn more than you. Does that make sense?

Confucius said “Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work another day in your life.” If that sounds good to you, you probably don’t want to wait eons for it to occur. Buddhism teaches us that we can either wait for the change to occur naturally, or we can initiate the change. It’s the difference between taking control of our lives or, leaving it all up to the whim of the universe.

3. Change

How much time have you spent actually trying to improve your situation? Sure, complaining is easy but it accomplishes very little. Have you actually looked for another job? Have you tried to improve your skills through in-house training, adult learning centers, books or correspondence courses? If none of these options are available to you, have you tried creating a better relationship with your boss and co-workers? Even the smallest step in the right direction is progress.

There is no one solution that is perfect for everyone -- we all have unique situations, but if we are persistent and creative enough there are always options available to begin the process of change. Some people believe that finding happiness at work is as elusive as finding the Holy Grail, but how will you know until you’ve really tried?

Keep in mind that beyond your daily 9-5 there are many options for earning additional income. If your experience allows you to speak as an expert in your field, try to market yourself and take on speaking engagements. Start a blog or write a book. There are other things you can do that may help your feelings of worth. It may help improve your outlook at work when you realize you’re not solely dependent on them to put food on the table.

You can help speed up the process of change or you can wait for it to occur naturally. Either way, a change is coming -- it’s a law.