Everyone has to interact with others and generate income. Most of us have a job, but everyone has to interact with others. This is either an area of happiness or unhappiness. Not a source of happiness or unhappiness, just an area. You can make the decision to be happy at work if you wish.
Handling co-workers
These are a few classic examples of co-worker behavior that can bring you down:
- The Boss: Most of us have to contend with The Boss in our working lives. Note that I listed this as a behavior, not a position. I’ve had great bosses and I’ve had horrible bosses. The Boss in this case is of the latter variety. If you have one then you know what I’m talking about.
- The Drain: This is a person who can’t wait to tell you about the most recent crisis they are encountering. And there always is one. Somehow after speaking with you they tend to feel a bit better and you feel like something best scraped off of the floor.
- The Company Man (or Company Woman): This is someone who is so enraptured with The Company that they devote their every moment in praise of it. While generally appreciated by the higher levels, the Company Man or Woman tends to come off as inflexible, as everything that has to be done must be done “by the book” regardless of whether or not the book is right, or if the Company Man or Woman has even read “the book”.
There are others, of course, but in my experience most people have one or more of these three. It is important to realize one basic concept before moving on: You can’t directly change their behavior. Controlling them into being nicer is right out the window. What you can control is how they affect you and how you react to them.
Remember, they are people too. I know this may sound odd, but it is important. Each and every person you see is after the same thing: Happiness. Everyone wants to be happy. In your eyes they may be acting badly, but they are just seeking their own happiness. Remembering that can give you a much needed vantage point for dealing with them. When you have to face them, try mentally taking yourself out of the picture and looking at them as a person. As if they were someone that you happened to meet at this time and place. Allow yourself to feel and imagine a little of what it might be like to be them. If you can pull that off, you will be much better able to deal with and relate to your co-workers.
What if the work itself doesn’t grab you?
I can hear it now: “Well, it’s not supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to be work!” Well, if that is your view, then I would suggest going back and reading Hard Work vs. Drudgery. Work is a means to an end. People generally work to increase income, but if you are working at something that brings in revenue and it also fills a need, then work can be so much more.
One thing that can help is if your work is in line with your purpose. You may not be aware of your purpose yet, but odds are good you have an idea. Ask yourself why you are alive here and now, and the first answer you get will probably be a step in the right direction. Even if you haven’t uncovered a purpose, finding work that gives you a sense of accomplishment will be much more fulfilling than grinding mindlessly on the treadmill. If your work does not give you such a chance, then finding lasting happiness in that job will be difficult. Not impossible, necessarily, but difficult. In such situations, I would suggest you start doing something on the side that will allow you to follow your purpose and/or give you that sense of accomplishment. Or, find a different line of work. Remember, you’re the one in control.
If having a purpose doesn’t mesh with your world-view or you feel that you need to stay in this job for some reason, I would suggest throwing yourself headfirst into the job. Go at it as hard as you can for as long as you can. If you can make it, you will find the job suddenly getting easier, as you rapidly gain experience and expertise. You will simultaneously start gaining respect from those around you, and perhaps get noticed by those above you.
Bring happiness to your work
If the environment at work makes “horrible” sound good, don’t just leave it at that. You yourself are a part of that environment. If you make the decision to brighten the environment and liven things up, you will have certainly made some small improvement. What’s more: When people notice that one person cares about something, they are more likely to care, too. As people notice that you are trying to maintain a good atmosphere, they will react to it and usually stat making their own small contributions. People want to feel good. By working for happiness yourself, you show others the way as well.
When you are happy at work, work will make you happy. Many people are familiar with the downward spiral of things going wrong. When you start actively trying to make the workplace a better place to be, the spiral starts winding upward, and things start going right. When you’re happy, you work harder, are more effective, and much more productive then if you are surly and feeling like you’ve been forgotten. As you become a shining example, opportunities will open up. It doesn’t matter if you are an entrepreneur, business owner, employee or investor. Having that atmosphere will bring in opportunities that you may not even know you wanted until they appeared. When you are happy doing what you are doing, great things will happen.
