Last week, while shopping in the produce section at Safeway, I heard two employees engaged in a conversation. It went like this:
He: I really like my job. I've learned so much. I look forward to coming here, and the work's not hard.
She: I know what you mean. I really love my job, being around all the healthy foods, the colors, and all the people.
He: Yeah. It's the best job ever.
Me (to She): I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. It was so refreshing listening to both of you.
She: Well, it's true. I love my job! I didn't know anything about produce until I was assigned here, and now I know a lot. I've learned a lot from reading, and the customers teach me as well.
He is a teen/young adult. She is probably in her mid-30s. She's also a single mother who has worked for Safeway for several years. I learned the latter from a conversation a couple of years ago when she was a cashier.
What do you love (or like) about your job? Maybe there's room for improvement somewhere (raise? promotion? new boss?), but that aside, what do you especially like about your occupation? How often do you remind yourself of that? What would it be like if that was your main focus every day? And during those times when stress rules your day?
If you've been laid off recently, what did you like about your previous employment? What do you most appreciate about that experience? How will that experience help you in the future?
Whether you are employed by an organization, self-employed, or laid off, there is/was fortune in that work. You won't have to dig deep to find it, either. Knowledge gained, friendships cemented, life lessons learned, financial goals advanced. What's been your fortune?
I realize this might seem a bit Pollyana-ish. After all, recent polls show a heightened increase in stress among American workers because of uncertainty about "what's next." Life, as we knew it just a couple of years ago, is now very different. Yet, in the words of Charles Swindoll, "I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes.
So, tell me again... What do you love about your job?
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