Why is there so much stress and unhappiness at work?
My mother was a school teacher who would often complain about her job to Mrs. Sussman, a peer of hers. In response, Mrs. Sussman told her “What do you expect, Pat? That’s why they call it work.” This statement answers my initial question, and it reflects how many of us view our jobs.
Today people equate work with struggle, where struggle is “effort laced with negative emotions”. But the true definition of work is expending effort to produce something, period. Many of us give up not only our time and energy for a paycheck, benefits, and sometimes a sense of security, but we throw in our good health and well-being in the bargain. Herein lies the huge problem facing companies and its employees today. People feel obligated to go to jobs they hate and believe what’s in it for them is a paycheck and benefits, along with health corroding stress and a soul poisoning loss of connection to their true purpose in life. This goes for unhappy employees who are working in a field they like as well as those who work in fields they dislike.
But, what if work was simply work – the expending of effort untarnished with the negative thoughts and emotions and the accompanying side effects? Would work be such a grind to go to then? Would you dread Sunday evenings and begin your countdown to Friday on Monday morning at 8? I don’t think so. Work would simply be the job at hand that pays the bills.
And, what if work was more than mere unemotional effort? What if work was a calling or a blessing, effort laced with positive thoughts and emotions that create connection to your purpose, in addition to paying the bills? What then? How would that impact your emotional and physical health? How would that change your relationships at work and at home? How would that transform your life?
Here at The Courage Catalyst, I help people take the struggle out of work, and make it more pleasant. I help people move from disliking work to making peace with it, and from there, oftentimes to liking it, transforming their lives in the process. If you would like to receive helpful tips to increase your energy and enthusiasm for work, subscribe to my newsletter and receive my 3-Step Guide to Bold Action. And check out my website www.thecouragecatalyst.com.
Photo Credit: Aidan