Is Your Job Really That Bad?

Poll after poll shows that the majority of people are not happy with their jobs. If they won the lottery most of them would quit their jobs. Work is drudgery, work involves politics, horrible managers and the 9-5 shackles. The ultimate dream is – “If only I could retire, have no financial worries and see the world!”

I think there is some convoluted human psychology in this thought process. My 2 cents:

We Love to Complain
It is a very basic human trait. We read about glass half-full versus glass half-empty but we regress towards the negative. And complaining is not limited to job related instances only – it has universal appeal. You complain about your in-laws, kids complain about their parents, customers complain about bad service, scientists complain about global warming … the complain-fest goes on. You vent, you rant, to get it off your chest – you feel better.

We Love to Fantasize
We love to fantasize about what we don’t have. Again – it’s human nature to crave the next big thing. You crave retirement but when you talk to the retired folks – they crave the work environment. You crave traveling the world – but after a trip or two you will be craving a quiet weekend at home. Fantasizing about retirement or winning the lottery or quitting your job are but idle meanderings of the mind.

As a Matter of Fact – It’s Pretty Good
Your job that is! You are productive, have a social network, nice people to work with, excellent facilities, enhanced self-worth and decent compensation. You are a positive contributor to society and having fun doing it – I call that pretty good.

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