Feeling a lack of passion for a job is not uncommon, but there is a potential fix. Under stress, it’s easy to focus on negative emotions and thoughts in a downward spiral. You are then less likely to see the upside, the things you do that contribute to the greater good—the part of your job you can be passionate about. The good news is that cheerfulness—demonstrating happiness and optimism—is a conscious behavior. You can use it to manage stress and increase job satisfaction.
Follow these three steps:
1) Find the part of your job you do like—any aspect you can be cheerful about. If you carry groceries to customers’ cars, focus on how this service benefits customers.
2) Link this benefit to your desire to find happiness in the role you play.
3) Talk up this aspect with others. If you do, you may recognize more meaning in your job.
Research shows practicing cheerfulness, along with having positive thoughts and emotions, has big returns. It can build resilience for when the going gets tough. It allows you to feel more in control and less focused on negativity. It boosts desire to fend off negativity. It also helps increase the number of positive relationships you have—people will want to hang around you more, and this can lead to improved employment opportunities and even improved financial outcomes. Happiness is a do-it-yourself project. Use purposeful cheerfulness as one life skill to help you achieve it.
Learn more: www.futurity.org/stress-positive-moods-938722/