How to bring value today to a job you hate

Maximus:  You don’t find it hard to do your duty?

Cicero: Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to.

“Gladiator” 2000

 

Bottom Line Up Front: You can increase your value to your employer and enjoy your job more by doing these 3 things and it will position you to make a more graceful transition if you want to. What are they? Be grateful, be cheerful and get better.

 

Do you hate your job? Good.

Good because it’s healthy to be clear about what we like and what we don’t like, but also good because it is healthy for us to go through a miserable situation, keep a smile on our face and turn it around…

…before we leave.

When I was a commander in the Army soldiers used to say, “Sir, we don’t have to train to be miserable.” While it’s true you don’t have to invite misery, you do have to toughen yourself to be able to undergo misery and not get discouraged.

First, be grateful.

Right now, write down three things you like about this job you hate. The easiest things can be the paycheck, the heating in the winter and the air conditioning in the summer, and any time off you are granted. If you work in a garage or if you work outside you can be grateful for the people you interact with, the coffee in the break room, or the warming tent you get to use in cold weather. You can be thankful for a thermos of coffee or a jug of ice water. You can be thankful for a lunch break.

We find what we look for.

As you are thinking of things to be grateful for remember we always find what we look for. If we look for the bad in people or in situations we will always find it. If we look for the good we will always find it.

What about your paycheck?

No matter how much or how little you are paid, be grateful for that. By saying thank you, even silently to yourself, you turn the entire situation around. Try it. To turbocharge this process, even if your paycheck is modest and money is tight, promise yourself today that you will over-tip someone… today. In a restaurant, your barber, or anyone who helps you.

 

Second, be cheerful.

If you are reading this at work then you can do this now. If you are reading this at home, do it in the morning when you go to work. The next time someone asks you how you are, say,

“On top of the world.” This usually makes people smile or laugh.

Or…

“Best day of my life.” Then, if you’re feeling very confident, say, “Well, there was a summer night in 1978… (or whatever year you graduated from high school)” and smile. That sort of softens the impact in a good way.

Or…

“Very. Very. Well.” This is quiet and understated and has a big punch.

You can also say, “Living the dream,” which can be cynical and sarcastic or not. If someone laughs and you want to be real and connect with them because they know the situation you are both in is unpleasant, say, hopefully, “Nightmares are dreams, too, right?” That usually makes people smile.

 

Third, get better.

We can all afford to bring up our game. Decide—decide—to be better at everything you do, no matter how modest the task. Answering the phone, writing an email, holding a meeting. Ask yourself if you are doing the absolute best you can do. If not, try to be better.

The best way to leave a task you don’t like is to grow out of it. Master it. Make it your own.

If you really want to turbo-charge this tell someone in your office, “I pledge to you you are going to get a better version of me today.  That’s my promise to you. It’s me, 3.0 (say it like “Three dot oh.” They’ll get a kick out of that.).”

 

Maybe you’re not there for you.

When I had a job I hated I complained to my wife. She said something very wise. She said, “Maybe you’re not there for you. Maybe you’re there for somebody else.”

That made it worth it.

If you hate your job, you can turn it around by being grateful, being cheerful and then getting better. Once better you can plot your escape.

You will feel better about the job you hate. You will do better at the job you hate. You will succeed more quickly at the job you hate.

Call to Action: First, write down three things you are thankful for at your job. Second, promise yourself right this minute and commit to yourself that you will no longer complain and when asked how you are you will say, “Great. Best day of my life.” Third, write down three areas of your job you will begin to improve in (we all know where we are weak, right?) and take action today to get better in those areas.

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