I had a love-hate relationship with my second favorite job. Overall I loved my job, the people in the organization and pretty much everything about it. There were days, however, that my boss was a jackass, team members were whiny and expectations were outrageous. I was good but goodnight – the stress was incredible at times.
When things would reach critical mass I would think about just finding the same job with another company. Maybe they wouldn’t be so ridiculous, jackassy or whiny.
But I stuck with that job, and so very grateful that I did, because I knew that maybe the grass wasn’t so green on the other side. So what did I do to help make it through those times without anyone sustaining any injury?
I turned it around and thought about it from the perspective of what if I was going to lose this job. Looking back it is ironic given that years later the company was sold and my path changed dramatically.
But I digress.
When we tend to look at something as though we are going to lose it then we gain a greater appreciation for it. Think back to dating games: that girl or guy didn’t seem interested when you were together but after you broke up and started going out with someone else – well now, that was a different story.
So why wait to lose it before you appreciate it?
What if you had to compete for your present job? Would you be performing at a higher level?
What if the company was closing – how much would you love your job then? The people may not be as whiny, the boss may lighten up a bit, you really do like the location, enjoy what you do, get to help people, get along well with your co-workers, have great flexibility….the list goes on.
Yes, my boss could be a jackass, but the other 90% of the time he was a great boss. We worked really well together and were a great team. When he was in jackass mode I had to step up and be the calm one smoothing everything out to contain the jackassy.
Team members were whiny, but overall they were absolutely committed to the company and I knew I could count on them whenever I needed. They get a pass on whiney every now and then – they deserved it.
The unrealistic expectations – well I realized they wouldn’t have been set so high if leadership didn’t believe that not only could I meet them but I would kick ass on them too.
When we start to look at things that are leaving us we have a whole new perspective. You could use the analogy of glass half full or half empty here. I say top it off with your choice of beverage and give a toast to what you have right now!
Lisa K. McDonald, CPRW
Career Coach-Strategist
Certified Professional Resume Writer
Career Polish, Inc.