How to Experience More Joy at Work

It is possible to enjoy our work lives more than we do and it often requires just a few basic shifts in our thinking to provide us with a greater sense of purpose at work.

Unfortunately, sometimes we’re under great stress or we’ve been in a job for so long that we have difficulty seeing the beneficial aspects of our work or understanding ways to make it work better for us.

 Here are five ways to go about experiencing more joy in the work place.

Focus on the meaning you derive from your work. A key aspect to finding joy in your work is to recognize and celebrate the good that results from your job, the ways your products or services make life better for your customers and clients, and the difference your company makes in the world. If you cannot identify this important part of your job, then you might need to consider a job move. 

Cultivate positive relationships with your colleagues. It’s difficult to enjoy our work place if we don’t enjoy those we work with. Of course, you cannot control the behavior of others at work, but you can make every effort to develop good working relationships with your co-workers and manager. It will help if you seek to recognize the strengths in others rather than focus on their failures and shortcomings.

Recognize how your job makes you change and grow. If you’ve been in a job or at a company for several years you have changed during that time. You have developed new skills and grown in ways that it’s important to recognize. Take some time to appreciate this growth and it will help you to experience greater satisfaction in your job.

Use your job to strengthen your weaknesses. You can look at your job as a laboratory and a place to make improvements. Be clear about the areas you need to work on, whether related to job skills or character traits, such as patience, and seek to measure your development. Paying attention to self-improvement on your job can add a level of enjoyment to your work experience.  

Pay attention to your attitude. There are a lot of things we can’t control at work, but we always have the ability to take control of our attitude and the ways we respond to the events on the job. Greater enjoyment at work is more likely when we approach our job and our relationships with our colleagues with curiosity, and a positive and helpful attitude.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 8 Proven Ways to Boost Your Self-Confidence

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below, TopThink presents 8 methods to improve your confidence, including learning something new. Check out the video for more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Why Leaders Should Be Mindful, Selfless, and Compassionate

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Why Leaders Should Be Mindful, Selfless, and Compassionate: "Once you have a genuine sense of concern for others, there’s no room for cheating, bullying, or exploitation; instead, you can be honest, truthful, and transparent in your conduct."

• 7 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Manager and Leader: "Your success, rather, derives from how well your team performs. Your job, therefore, is to support, protect, and motivate your team--as individuals and as a unit."

• How to Be Happier at Work and in Life: "If you have 20 minutes free, you might be tempted to fritter it away on social media or the news. But these little chunks of time can boost our happiness more than we expect if we use them thoughtfully."

• 4 Ways to Successfully Turn Your Day Job Into a Successful Side-hustle: "Moving away from a steady, full-time position to being on your own is the scariest, yet most invigorating feeling in the world"
• 3 Keys to Developing Daily Disciplines:"To know what is important to you and to commit to those things as part of your “must do’s” is to create the ecosytem for a more effective use of your time."

5 Work Habits That Are Holding You Back

We often hear and read talk of the good habits we should form at work or the morning habits necessary for a successful day, but there are some habits we should get rid of.

Without changing some of the things that are holding us back in our career we will continue to struggle and wonder why we’re not hitting our career goals.

Here are some basic, but often overlooked, habits that can sink your performance on the job and prevent your career from taking off.

Not having a plan. If you don’t start your day with a plan made up of clearly attainable goals, you’ll have a difficult time accomplishing anything of value during your work day. Focus on 3-5 attainable priorities for your day and you’ll feel a greater sense of accomplishment and make real progress toward your longer-term goals.

Taking work home. A consistent practice of taking work home might indicate that you are not using your time proficiently at your work place and need to develop better strategies for time and project management. You are also more likely to experience stress which can lead to a poor performance at work and increased dissatisfaction with your personal life.

   

Multi-tasking. Contrary to previous thought, multi-tasking is not a skill you want to try to master. The most productive people are those who focus on one task for a specified period of time, allowing them to bring their full attention and skill to their work. Attempting to multi-task often leaves you distracted, and the work you accomplish is often of lower quality than when you’re able to give your undivided attention to the job. 

Negative attitude. Sometimes we develop a consistent pattern of thinking negatively about our job or workplace and don’t even consciously realize that we’re bring this negative energy into the office with us every day. Take time to evaluate your words, your interactions, and your attitudes about your job for any negativity. If you find that you’ve developed a habit of negativity work to change your thoughts through meditation or other practices.

Working tired. You likely would not want to have heart surgery performed on you by a doctor who had very little sleep the night before. Nor would you want to get on a plane with a pilot who could barely stay awake. Yet many of us habitually go into work fatigued and unable to perform our job to the best of our ability. This is an unsustainable habit that will prevent you from achieving the success you desire.

If any of these five habits are holding you back in your career, make a change today.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Morning Habits to Jump Start Your Brain

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below, life and career coach Jack Canfield shares several morning habits to set up your day for success. Check out the video for more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 9 Simple Ways to Improve Your Life in 9 Days

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 9 Simple Ways to Improve Your Life in 9 Days: "Collecting accolades, reaching the top of the corporate ladder, or acquiring riches isn't as important as having a calling, pursuing a dream, and changing lives."

• Need a Business Idea? Here are 55: "Starting a home-based business is within the reach of almost anyone who wants to take a risk and work hard, as are a plethora of other low-cost ideas."

• 50 Motivational Quotes from Inspiring Women Leaders: "Whether we're forging our own paths or following in the footsteps of those who've gone ahead, these trailblazers, innovators, explorers and disrupters can encourage, motivate and push us to reach new heights -- in business and in life."

• How to (and how not to) Approach an Office Romance: "So what if you and a colleague have been flirting and might want to explore a relationship? Should you steer clear? Should what’s right from a professional perspective override what’s best for your personal life?"
• 6 Surprising Office Romance Stats that Companies Should Know About:"Instead of trying to eliminate romance at work, the following should serve as a wake-up call  to organizations that they need to step up and help employees deal with their attraction at work."

How to Lose Friends & Coworkers in the Work Place

 

There are some sure-fire ways to antagonize your co-workers and colleagues and you likely know one or two people you’d prefer not to work with.

It’s always good to evaluate our behavior at work to confirm we’re not making our co-worker’s lives more difficult. And if you are new to a workplace ensure that the following behaviors do not become part of your routine.

Be late for meetings. Your colleagues value their time and don’t want to spend any additional time in meetings. So, avoid tardiness so you don’t develop the habit of being the one person everyone is constantly waiting for.

Have a negative attitude. No one wants to work with a person who sees the negative in everything, always knows why every project will fail, or believes the company is going bankrupt. A negative attitude will make it difficult to advance in your career.

Fail to meet deadlines. When you have coworkers depending on you to complete a project you need to … complete the project. On time. Few failures will alienate you faster at work than failing to deliver on your promises and projects. You’ll soon wonder why key assignments are not coming your way.

Communicate poorly. Success at work and on the job requires the ability to communicate clearly and well with colleagues and clients, both in person and in writing. It can be incredibly frustrating to deal with a co-worker who struggles to effectively communicate and can slow down work on projects.

Gossip about your co-workers. When you’re told something in confidence, whether from a co-worker, or some insider company info, it’s important to be able to hold that information privately, rather than sharing it with others or spreading gossip. Developing a reputation as a gossip is a sure-fire way to sabotage your career and prevent opportunities for advancement.

There are many other ways to alienate your co-workers—leaving a mess in co-working spaces, heating up that salmon leftover in the microwave in your kitchenette, or clipping toe nails at your desk—but you're probably savvy enough to figure those out on your own.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 10 Practical Life & Career Lessons from Marcus Aurelius

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

The video below from Downtown Success shares 10 practical lessons on life from Marcus Aurelius, including "your reality is made by your opinions". Check out the video for more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Create and Reach Your Goals in 4 Steps

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• How to Create and Reach Your Goals in 4 Steps: "Reaching your goals is equally as hard, if not harder, than setting them, but if you can be patient and focused you will be far more likely to succeed."

• 12 Self-Care Tips for Busy People: "Afford yourself a personal reward from time to time, especially after you’ve done a great job on a tough project or gotten your business through a rough patch. It’s not going to kill your budget, and a fresher, happier you will reap significant rewards."

• Why You Should Work Less and Spend More Time on Hobbies: "To stand out and compete in today’s crowded and constantly changing business environment, organizations need new, innovative ideas that will rise above the noise."

• 7 Lessons in Leadership from Tom Brady: "There are no shortcuts when it comes to success -- you've got to put in the work. As Brady once said, 'I just love working hard. I love being part of a team; I love working toward a common goal'."
• 10 Things You Can Do to Boost Self-Confidence:"People with low self-confidence see others as better or more deserving than themselves. Instead of carrying this perception, see yourself as being equal to everyone."

How to Deal with Past Failures & Mistakes When Trying to Renew Your Career

It’s possible you’ve made a big mistake or two in your career or at your current job and you’re trying to restore your career or reputation.

If you walked out and quit in the middle of an important presentation to the CEO, got embarrassingly drunk at the holiday party, or lost your temper with a client, how do you recover and move your career forward? How do you face an uncomfortable job interview where you’re asked to explain things?

Keep the following five things in mind as you deal with repairing your career for future job interviews.

Be patient. If you’re looking for another opportunity for a promotion at your current company it might take some time for trust to be restored. It takes time for wounds to heal, even when that wound is to your career. Focus your attention on rebuilding trust by pursuing excellence on the job without trying to force others to recognize the changes you’ve made. They’ll be recognized in time.

Be honest. If you have a job interview be honest about what happened and your role in the situation. If you were going through a divorce when you walked out on the presentation to the CEO that might help explain the stress you were under. Take responsibility for the mistakes you’ve made and demonstrate that you are fully prepared to take responsibility for your actions.

Don’t minimize. As mentioned above, you need to own your decisions and recognize the seriousness of your actions without attempting to pass blame elsewhere or make excuses. Facing a difficult situation head on with honesty and without minimizing will demonstrate integrity and show that you’ve made positive changes to your life and career. 

Share what’s been learned. You can lead others through your vulnerability by sharing your experiences with others and passing on what you have learned. Perhaps you can become known as an expert in your company on dealing with workplace stress because you’ve struggled to manage stress in the past. If you’re open and vulnerable, your biggest failures can lead to greater successes if you offer that failure to others as a teaching, learning, and healing experience.

Describe strategies to avoid a repeat. Finally, be clear with yourself and others, including an interviewer, just what changes you’ve made in your life and the strategies you now employ to prevent a repeat of the actions that set you back in your job or career.

An embarrassing failure does not have to be the end of your career if you are humble enough to be patient and learn from you mistakes.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 12 Rules for an Epic Life

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Modern Health Monk, Alex Heyne shares 12 habits for building your best life. Check out the video for his tips.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Life Skills You Need to Increase Likelihood of Success

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Life Skills You Need to Increase Likelihood of Success: "While this is in no way an exhaustive list, these are the skills that are essential if you want to become successful."

• A 3-Step Checklist to Make a Big Career Decision: "If you’re at a career crossroads, according to Selina Tobaccowala, all you need to do is consider three things: who are the people you are going to work with, how do you feel about the product and do you care about the mission."

• 9 Habits That Will Make Your Life (and You) More Interesting: "Interesting people have learned that the very act of seeking new experiences brightens their spirits and puts them in a good mood."

• 5 Tips to Help You Stick with Your Resolutions This Year: "You don’t have to throw in the towel just yet. Here are some of the changes I’ve made to avoid failure with my New Year’s resolutions."
• A Lesson in Bad Leadership from Netflix's Fyre Festival Documentary:"If your boss dances around and evades serious questions asked by the team and won't give concrete answers, you should start getting a little nervous."