Father Rutler, the pastor of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, loves what he does, but at times, even Rutler has experienced exhaustion at work. And it’s not that the work is that hard, nor that he can’t turn the results over to Christ, but time and time again when he gets really tired, he forgets the cardinal rule. Have fun at work.
#1. Realize That Not That Many People Love Their Job
Many people moan day in and day out about not loving their jobs. And they spend a great deal of time (sometimes at work) polishing their resume to find something that will suit them better.
The problem is wherever you go in a new job, there you are. It’s your attitude that prevails, so the number 1 tip is to realize that there are no perfect jobs, and one of the best lessons to learn is to enjoy what you have for the moment. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
#2. Challenge Yourself
Father Rutler as well as many other professionals encourage people to do the best job they can possibly do, and the best they can do is more akin to if they were being paid $1,000 per hour instead of $15 an hour and sort of winging through it.
Michael Csikszentmihalyi, the groundbreaking author of Flow, the Psychology of Optimal Experience points to many people who experience the flow state at work by treating work like an athletic competition and seeing how quickly and how efficiently they can do a task compared to others. Flow is all about internal joy, not about the rewards of promotion.
#3. Just Dive In
Many people spend more time worrying about a task than actually completing it. If you just dive in, you’ll often be amazed at how simple the task really was. Stress is commonly known for blowing a situation out of proportion. As long as you do not feed into the worrisome nature of stress and panic, you will be able to complete tasks with ease.
#4. Smile at Others
No, you don’t have to be Miss or Mr. Personality at work, but the act of smiling actually tricks your body into thinking it’s genuinely happy. Smile enough, and sooner, rather than later, you’ll actually feel better and will be having fun at work.
#5. Make Friends at Work
You’ll be amazed at how quickly your work environment improves by making friends at work.
After all, you spend nearly 40 or more hours a week in the company of other people. Why not make a few of them your friends?
#6. Play Music if You are Allowed
Whenever possible, consider playing music at work. Music can be an instant mood elevator as well as a motivator to be productive. And if not, silently hum to yourself. Whenever I need a lift at work I hum the “Green Acres” TV theme song. It instantly transports me down memory lane and soon my mood is elevated.