We all wish we could find that dream job that does not feel like work at all and rewards us emotionally, mentally, and spiritually – not too mention financially. Truth be told, those jobs are few and far between, friends. There are the lucky few that find those magic moments in life where their skills and abilities align with their true passions and they find themselves getting paid to perform tasks that they would happily do for nothing. For the vast majority of the world, though, our jobs are simply a means to an end. That does not mean that every day has to be a torturous march to the grave, though.
It is fitting that our first installment of the Cubicle Survival Guide falls on a four-day, extra-long weekend break from work for most of us.
It is Thanksgiving weekend in our country and among the blessings we must count are those very jobs that many of us dread going back to on Monday morning. Chances are, I would have had a harder time selling this outlook eight or ten years ago when the economy was thriving and cutting-edge jobs seemed to be readily available. Something tells me that the current unemployment rate and the chances that we all know someone on the unsuccessful hunt for a good job helps you understand how lucky you are to be occupying your little cube-shaped corner of the world.
That brings me to the first fundamental truth in the Cubicle Survival Guide: an attitude of gratitude is essential. Be grateful for the job you have. Be grateful for the manager or boss that hired you. Be grateful for the coworkers that trained you and that assist you each day. Be grateful for the God-given talents you have that helped you secure that job and perform it capably. Be grateful you are not digging ditches in the heat. (Unless you actually ARE digging ditches, in which case be grateful for efficient tools and sunscreen.) Be grateful for the technology that makes all our lives far easier than our ancestors ever dreamed.
Going to work each day with a gracious and grateful attitude is going to make everyone in your life happier to see you coming and more willing to help you along the way. As you will see in our future installments, having a collection of trusting and trustworthy peers around you will make many of the Cubicle Survival Guide techniques more effective and likely for success. Having a perpetually negative attitude and failing to see the blessings of your current career path is a surefire way to alienate yourself and make your time at work even more miserable.
Take this weekend to enjoy the food, football, and family festivities, but don’t let the thanksgiving end when the new work week begins. Be sure to take a look around and consider how lucky you are to be gainfully employed and working with the friendly faces around you each day. We will be here to teach you a few new tricks each week to utilize in the modern-day work world, but if you harness the attitude of gratitude in your career, you can do more than survive. You can thrive and succeed and spread a contagious energy and enthusiasm to others in need of encouragement.
