Going to work is mandatory. We need to in order to feed our families, pay our bills, find success, and grow our careers. There’s no getting around that, but why does finding joy and happiness seem impossible at work? After all, who doesn’t love making money?
The truth is, there’s more to a job than just receiving a paycheck. Sure, the money is nice, but it’s much more rewarding when you’re doing something you love. When you’re not happy with the work you’re doing, you’ll lose that sense of purpose.
Finding that joy at work is difficult, but it’ll lead to a better you — and result in a deeper success over the years. You’ll be more productive, more motivated, and that energy will rub off on other people in the workplace.
Many psychologists can link happiness at work to 5 major components, known as the 5 C’s. Breaking these components down can give you a glimpse at why you’re not as happy as you wish to be at work.
Finding Joy And Happiness: The 5 C’s
Contribution
Take a second to think about what you do at work all day. What are your responsibilities, what do you contribute to the team? When you think about this, how does it make you feel? Are you proud or ashamed?
Happiness at work can be related to how you view the work you do. It doesn’t necessarily matter what you do, as long as you approve of it and find pride in what you’re able to contribute. If you’re a dishwasher, but absolutely hate doing the dishes and feel like you’re useless in the workplace, then it’ll be difficult to find happiness.
Conviction
Conviction is defined as your ability to stay motivated. Work will get stressful, you’ll encounter tough situations, and be tested time and time again. Whether it’s coworkers getting on your nerves, the pressure of upper management, or needy customers, it can be too much to handle.
Those with conviction can easily look past all of this and continue with work as normal because they enjoy what they do. They understand the hectic nature of the job, but don’t let it get to them.
Culture
Happiness in the workplace can be directly related to how well you fit in with the rest of your coworkers. For those that often feel left out or have conflicting personalities with other people in the workplace, you’ll likely feel uncomfortable every time you clock in. Helping someone can go a long to way to making improvements.
It’s no different than with life outside of work. You must be surrounded by people you enjoy being around, or else the fun will continue to be sucked out of everything.
Commitment
If you’re not committed to what you do, you’ll probably find yourself dragging into work every morning. Just the thought of waking up and getting ready for work will be depressing. If you want to be happy at work, it’s important to find something you can stay committed to.
Confidence
Feeling confident in yourself can give you a sense of purpose as you walk around the office. People will notice and start to get behind you, giving you a reason to continue stepping forward. Some people that lack confidence at work will often fear going to work.
Go through each of the 5 C’s and rate yourself on a scale from 1-10. This will give you a glimpse at what areas you can improve on. Happiness at work is right around the corner, but only if you’re willing to work at it.