Even the most fabulous job can start to feel same-y after a while. Staying in love with yours is all about your state of mind.
There was a time you loved your job and couldn't wait to get to the office, but with the everyday routine of work responsibilities, it's easy to get bored and despondent. 'Like every important relationship in your life, maintaining a commitment to what you do is a mental state that you need to consciously work on,' says Kim Meszaros, marketing executive at Kelly Recruitment. 'Keeping the 'romance' alive requires you to be an active and willing participant in your job, and there are several steps you can take to put the spark back into it'.
Good jobs are not to be taken for granted in these tough economic times, and how you approach yours says a lot about you. Employers want people who are passionate about what they do, and knowing that you make a difference makes your job rewarding and increases your enthusiasm. If you're not enjoying your job as much as you once did, employ a touch of 'relationship therapy' by considering the following:
• Exceed Expectations: Aim to exceed expectations in your daily tasks. The reward will be praise and possibly even promotion, and you'll benefit personally from the extra challenge.
• Reward yourself for jobs well done: Celebrate your achievements. Get your girlfriends around and let them share in your success. This will drive you to work even harder.
• Find significance in what you do: Think about why you first entered your current working relationship, and refer back to this whenever you feel your spirits sagging. Remind yourself of your career path, and that you're on your way to getting where you want to be.
• Mix it up: New perspectives are in; mundane is out. Strive to think 'outside the box' and aim to be creative in all you say and do.
• Money can't buy you love: Just as financial gain is not the basis for a successful relationship, your job shouldn't just be about your pay slip. It should be the opportunity to employ your skills and use your strengths in a personally fulfilling way.
• Manage your stress: Some workplace stress is expected, but too often anxiety is self-induced. Stop worrying about things you can't control, and focus on doing your daily tasks to the best of your abilities. Make sure you do non work-related stuff after hours to unwind and de-stress.
• Relationships work: Happy employees have good relationships with colleagues. Having positive office relationships means you have a good support system and people you can trust. This has enormous psychological benefits when the workload weighs you down.
• Fall in love again: Make the decision to fall in love with your job again. You can do this by making a list of all the things you like about your job. Reminding yourself why you took the job in the first place will automatically put you in a more positive frame of mind.