Lately I’ve been hearing people talk about how they’re counting the days, or years, till they have enough time in at their jobs so they can quit and still get their pension. You can feel how much they hate going to work every day. That’s a lot of negativity being festered!

If you’re in a job for an average of 8 hours a day for five days a week and hate it all, chances are you’re not a fully happy person. I understand that most of us need to work to pay our bills. And you don’t have to love every aspect of your work. But, if you look, you can find some pleasure in being there. Sometimes that’s impossible if you hate the work you’re doing, and the people you work with are all nasty and the atmosphere is unpleasant.

If every aspect brings you down, you should make an effort to find a new job, even if it’s still doing the work you don’t like if it’s all you can get. But, I’ve learned that when you go into a job with a good attitude, you’ll find many pleasant aspects if you’re open.

I’ve done work that was tedious and boring but found ways to have fun. It’s a choice. You can choose to be miserable at work and let what you don’t like get you down or find some blessings in what you do that you can enjoy. It’s the same with starting your own business or working for yourself. If it feels tedious or you see everything as unpleasant, chances are you’ll find yourself stuck in a rut of unhappiness since so much time is spent there.

Dale Carnegie said, “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”

When I decided I want to have fun with whatever I do, even chores at home, I was able to have more pleasure in the moment. As I said, it’s a choice. It won’t just happen as you wait, complaining to everyone about how much you don’t want to be there. Opening up to finding more things that feel good allows you to find AND appreciate them. Where can you find the fun? Here are some things that can accomplish this, depending on your work situation.

•    Stop complaining: The more you complain, the worse you feel because it keeps reinforcing what you don’t like and attracts more of what you complain about. Stifle any urges to.

•    Find the nice people around you: They exist. When I began to work in the music industry I was told it was filled with cutthroat people. I expected nice people and that’s what I attracted. Give everyone a friendly “hi” when you pass them, even if it’s not reciprocated. Be the cheery person and eventually at least some will come around. Having good camaraderie can make work more pleasant.

•    Use a sense of humor: I love to joke around with people when I work. Having a good sense of humor makes any situation more pleasant, including using it to deal with the stuff you don’t like at work. People enjoy humor and if yours doesn’t put anyone down or go over the top to be annoying, others will join in. I’ve seen waitresses who wear funny headpieces that add lots of laughs to their work. Find something you can do to add humor to your workday.

•    Make work a game: Sometimes when I’m doing something tedious, I time myself for some of it and see how much or how fast I can do part of it. It creates a little challenge that gives me pleasure, even if the work itself doesn’t.

•    Listen to Music: IF you’re doing work where it’s allowed, listen to music you enjoy through a headset. It can brighten your mood and make doing the work more pleasant.

•    Fix up your workspace: If you have a space of your own, however small, add décor that makes it cherry. Bring in stuff with bright colors to add color to your work world. Put up photos of loved ones or of you on vacations paid for by the job. Focus on your blessings.

Not all work is fun but you can find the fun in your work, you’ll open doors to a lot more success in whatever you’re doing and your life will feel better in general.
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Take the 31 Days of Self-Love Challenge–a pledge to do something loving for yourself for the next 31 days–and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways for free at http://howdoiloveme.com. Read my 31 Days of Self-Love Posts from 2012 HERE.

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