How do we define Career happiness? Is it climbing the senior
management ladder? Developing those around you? Working in an environment where
your work has a massive impact on society? For different people, career
happiness can be defined in a variety of ways. As the majority of people work 40+
hours a week, then it makes sense to make your job or career a place where you
can be successful, develop yourself whilst obtaining so called 'career
happiness'. The goal is to make these 40 hours the best 40 hours!
Small changes to behaviour, mindset & routine can make a
significant difference in the happiness you derive from day to day. Unfortunately/fortunately for me I didn’t have someone to guide me through the actions I can
take to hone my health & happiness whilst in the modern professional
environment. I was fortunate to have internships and insight weeks in a number
of different sectors, these experiences have allowed me to fail a few times,
learn from my mistakes and taught me 5 little steps that will help you along
the way to becoming a boss in your professional life whilst at that same time
obtaining happiness.
Focus on your strengths.
Instead of looking at the things you aren't amazingly
skilled at, look at the aspects of your job you excel in. It's easy in a
competitive environment such as an office to be made aware of the numerous
strengths of other individuals and whilst it’s good to support others skills
and talents, this can mean we become anxious or doubt ourselves, paying
attention to our weaknesses. As cheesy as it sounds (queen of cheese over here)
write your top three strengths on a post-it note - stick it on your computer or
on a notebook or in a locker and whenever you're feeling like your job is
overwhelming look at the things you're good at as a gentle reminder to yourself!
Also, having an awareness of your strengths will allow you to choose projects
or opportunities that will play to your strengths. Initiating a project or
opting to do something that puts you out of your comfort zone will provide
you with the opportunity to add more skills to your post-it note.
Strike the balance between planning and being spontaneous.
In my last year of university, I drew myself a five-year
plan of life of what I wanted to achieve in the next five years. It had my
graduation, the duration of my graduate scheme, my success in
professional qualification examinations, when I was going to apply for my first
mortgage, how I was to manage all the little side projects I
have, what I was going to eat for dinner – everything was planned To
a T. Sure, having something to aim on paper makes you commit to it. But
the truth is, 2 months into my plan I realised that this well written time frame
of what I wanted to achieve was going to get me frustrated for a number of
reasons. Firstly - I can’t predict the future. The professional environment is
extremely volatile and the best achievers have an element of agility and are
able to adapt to whatever is thrown in their direction. The time line and content of the plan I wrote two years ago may be completely redundant in 2 years. Secondly - A five-year plan
can lead you into a false sense of confidence. You get complacent and start to
miss out on the thrill-seeking opportunities life has to offer. And finally -
I've already started to stray away from that 'perfect' plan I wrote whilst
sitting in my university halls. Speaking from experience, what may
seem right at a time may not be right 5 or 6 months down the line and then a
diversion from the map may be necessary.
Take care of your health.
You can’t be productive or seek happiness through your job
if you are sick. When you feel your best, you produce your best work. Cold, Flu
and stress related illness all require a rest period. This is something I
should tell myself more regularly but you are not superwoman and you cannot
work for hours on end whilst being ill - talk about a disaster waiting to
happen. Your co-workers will also thank you for not spreading your germs around
the office. Being healthy means being physically healthy, mentally healthy and
socially healthy. Taking actions such as; getting at least eight hours of
sound, restful sleep a night, getting regular physical and dental checkups,
eating healthy meals (all the Salmon and Kale fans rejoice), exercising
regularly, drinking water, having herbal tea instead of coffee (sigh) and using
resources like headspace app and other stress reduction techniques all work
wonders when boosting your physical, mental and social health.
Give back to your community.
For me the big question when finding a graduate job or
taking on any type of work is 'what is it going to give back to the
community?'. Many of us hope our work will have an impact whether
it's through actively working within the community or raising awareness. There
is more to life than your work and doing something that is directly going to
benefit someone else makes you realise this.
Keep working towards your passion project.
On a weekday, the
average person is at work for 8 hours a day, sleeps for another 8 hours,
let's say we give ourselves 3 hours for all the miscellaneous stuff like travelling,
going for after work drinks, cooking - that still leaves us with 5 hours to do
whatever we please. Whether it's for five hours or five minutes a day,
incorporate whatever you are passionate about into your routine. So, you want
to start a podcast? A clothing line? A charity? Write your own book?
Start Your Own Part-Time Business? There's no better time to do
so even alongside work & social commitments - whenever you have free time,
get the balls rolling. Having something to focus on outside your
professional life can also give you the skills needed to help your professional
progression and a few years you’ll be thanking yourself that you took the
time out to work on your passion project.
Utilise your lunch break.
A lot of people think lunch is for one thing and one thing
only (although food is extremely important). That 15 minutes to 1 hour break
you take for lunch can give you the opportunity to partake in a host of opportunities
from talking with people in a more informal setting, networking and meeting new
people, attending events that are taking place in your area, going to a spin
class, brainstorming your ideas in a coffee shop.
Make your own mistakes.
As cliche as it sounds, it’s all about individuals making
their own mistakes and realising how to best thrive in an environment. There
are no strict guidelines of how to seek happiness, productivity and success
whilst in the workplace. Not all the tips I've mentioned are going
to work for everyone and if you have some tips that I've missed off please let
me know in the comments.
Outfit details
Jumpsuit - H&M
Coat - New Look (Similar)
Heels - Office
Bag - Hawes & Curtis (Bag is now discontinued)
Watch - Accurist
Have a fabulous week!
Mx
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