Be Bold!

People are placing personal happiness at work higher on their career wish lists. For a growing number of us, happiness comes first. So, does your work make you happy? If your answer is “no,” you and 70% of the workforce are not alone.

It isn’t difficult to understand why so many people are unhappy. Employees today often feel they must sacrifice personal and family time in favor of work. Certain work situations, such as an irritating boss or co-workers, may make you unhappy. Perhaps the most common problem, s what tends to be called a bad match: work that doesn’t support your values or allow you to express your special talents.

Now, it’s unreasonable to expect to be happy all the time. No job is perfect. But every job has its irritants: people who don’t follow through on commitments, annoying co-workers, irrational clients. The hope is that the good significantly outweighs the bad.

So, if you’re unhappy at work, do something about it. For example, identify the source. Is it a toxic boss, work you don’t believe in, a lack of appreciation for your efforts or a poor culture match? Be specific. Something that starts out as a minor irritant can cloud all your feelings about work. Also evaluate your options. Can you change the problem? Think about when you were last happy. What has changed?

Overall, be bold. Assert your right to feel good about your work. The price you pay for ignoring this right — low self-esteem, depression and weakened health — is too high. Know what you need and stay the course, but remember: you work to live, you don’t live to work.

So let it be written, so let it be done.