How To Enjoy Your Career Journey

 “Yeah, right!”.

How many people do you know who would respond like that if you said to them “it’s easy to enjoy work”?

There might even be a heavy tone of sarcasm in their voice!

You may know a few people like that, people who don’t really enjoy their job.

Consider this though....

Your Career Enjoyment Is Your Choice.

You cannot control what other people do, but you can always decide how you choose to look at the situation. You simply have to stop, notice what you’re feeling and, if it isn’t what you want, do something about it.

Sadly, there are not many organisations who train their staff in the necessary skills to increase the enjoyment and reduce the stress in their working life: in other words, how to manage their career.

However, a couple of weeks ago I was delighted to collaborate with Emotional Intelligence (EQ) expert, Lisa Allen to deliver a session at a new teachers conference for the GLF Multi Academy Trust which we called “Enjoying the Journey”.

In other works, how to actively manage your career and how you feel about it.

By addressing these topics with their staff, GLF are leading the way in creating a sustainable future for their staff, business and school communities.

In today’s world of work, change is a constant, and the pace of change seems to be growing.

In order to thrive in this environment, we all need the skills to collaborate and enjoy that journey.

My collaboration with Lisa is a prime example: EQ is a key part of the careers conversation, so two people doing what they love and combining expertise creates a powerful message.

But, what can you practically do to enjoy your journey more?

Here are 7 top tips to enjoy your career journey:

1. Set your intention

Start the day with the conscious intention of “I am going to have fun at work today”

2. Smile, say good morning and compliment others

Make a point of doing things like smiling, saying “good morning”, and complimenting others. You will feel better and so will they.

3. Take a few moments to follow your ripples

Pick something you do and ask yourself “who or what benefits from me doing this?”. Then, “as a result of that, what benefits are there. And as a result of those things, what and who benefits?” ...and so on.

4. Think about what you really love doing at work and what makes an job ideal for you

List them all out. Make a plan to do more of those things (and less of the things you don’t like)!

5. As you go through your day, notice what emotions you are feeling

Emotions are data; the tell you how things are for you right now. If you’re not feeling how you want to, pause a moment. Ask yourself what you’d like to feel that will help and then identify one thing you could do right now to start creating that feeling. You might like to refer back to my blog about your emotions for some detail behind this point.

6. Before you start anything ask yourself this quick question

Linked to the previous point, as you start anything (whether it’s doing a report, going to a team meeting, delivering a presentation, or anything else), ask yourself “what is the best state for me to be in for this activity, for myself and others?” If you then create that state you will enjoy the activity more, experience less stress, and get better results.

7. Every day before you go to bed, look back on your day

Take at least two minutes to list all the things you did that you were pleased about or grateful for.

Make these 7 top tips a habit and you will soon be finding work a lot more enjoyable and less stressful. Give it a go for the next week and then let me know the difference.

You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

P.S. In addition I promised you a resource to help you enjoy your journey more, packed with actionable content that you can use to help guide you.

You will discover practical skills to not only be happier, but to become more successful in your career. It is my 9 Days to Career Success E-Course in which you’ll learn some of my favourite strategies for getting more of what you want.

Click here to sign up today, it won’t cost you a penny