Your alarm bells suddenly, you pick it up to check the time its 5:00am on another Monday. You put the alarm on snooze and you go back to bed. Ten minutes later, it bells again, you reset it and then you pass out…You wake up immediately to the rigorous ringing of your phone; you check the time and its 7:30am! Late again; you are toast!
There are some people who dread Monday mornings especially when they have to go to work. Here is the thing, Mondays are supposed to be the serious day of the week – my opinion. I say this because after working five days of the week, you get two days of rest, and that should be enough to revamp you for a new working week. Well not when you are bored to the bone with your job.
Some people go through their working life not having the sense of fulfillment they crave. The days at work seem longer and the nights even shorter. You find such people staring at the clock every hour when they should be doing something more important. They are always in a hurry to go home as soon as the clock hits five. They do complain of being emotionally, physically and psychologically drained all the time. Most people feel like square pegs in round holes.
This you cannot blame them for but on the structure of the education and transition system in Ghana. A lot of people do not get the opportunity to go through career guidance counseling before graduating from the tertiary institutions. There are a lot of graduates who are working to make ends meet rather than doing what they love. This is because the system does not explore variety of professions or trade that people can venture into after school. Apart from that, there are no viable markets for certain fields of study in the country. So what happens is that a certain sector of the working environment becomes choked because that is where everybody wants to go. The competition becomes stiffer and it becomes “who you know”. Unproductiveness becomes the rippling effect because the people who may have done the job right have been pushed aside.
Given the circumstances, you cannot use this situation as an excuse to be unproductive; take these summarized tips from Marybeth Sigler, a Career Coaching Specialist, on finding fulfillment at your job.
Take a look at your values
Your professional values define who you are, and why you work. Do not lose sight of these values or you will become dissatisfied with your job. Make a list of your key values and how to instill them back into your current role
Rediscover your passions
Organize your work around the things that create a strong passion in you, and your contentment and energy will increase significantly. If you cannot re-create passion at work, focus on finding your passions in your free time
Focus on your strengths
Understand which talents and skills you have, and look for ways to maximize the use of these strengths in your role or organization. Try to reorganize the work you do to put your strengths at the forefront, or talk with your boss about how you can be better utilized for your strengths
Create your own success and happiness.
What habits or behaviors do you have that are an impediment to success? If you are a poor listener or a weak team player, note it — and make a promise to yourself to change. If you need certain skills or education to advance, consider pursuing it now
Cultivate attitude of mindfulness
Studies have shown that mindfulness at work improves job satisfaction and reduces emotional exhaustion. When you are stressed or feeling overworked, the mental chatter in the brain tends to increase, and you may spend more time talking about your work than doing it. Learn to quiet the mind, and focus on the present moment.
There is nothing more fulfilling in life than doing what you love and getting paid for it. Get a job that you love and you will never work a day in your life.
By:DOROTHY OWUSU
