Throughout your career journey, there are likely to be plenty of stops along the way. While you may not have your dream job just yet, today’s lagging economy means there are still plenty of reasons to be appreciative of the job you do have!
In 2014, make a resolution to take significant steps to love your job – dream job or not. Some minor tweaks and attitude changes can save you from getting stuck in a career rut or feeling unmotivated as the new year dawns. Check out these five ways to love your job in 2014:
1) Get motivated:
Every day, vow to focus on the positive aspects of your job rather than the negative ones. Maybe your job allows you time to have a fulfilling social life. Maybe one of your coworkers is also a great friend. Or maybe you’ve completely mastered your everyday tasks.
Keep your work life in perspective by ensuring you’re focusing on fulfilling activities when you’re out of the office, too–consider volunteering or joining a community club you’re interested in.
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2) Keep your eyes peeled for new opportunities:
Too many people feel they have little control over their career once they’ve landed a job. Even if you’re not working at your dream company, there are still plenty of opportunities you can seize to keep your industry knowledge fresh and learn new skills. Take advantage of workshops, webinars, networking events, company social gatherings–anything to get you out of your comfort zone. In your career, any new opportunity can be a chance to learn valuable skills and glean new insight.
3) Vow to network more:
Just because you have a job, that doesn’t mean you should stop networking. In fact, people who stop networking just because they’re comfortable in a job may end up hurting themselves if they’re back on the job hunt later. Be proactive about your networking efforts –attend networking events, reach out to professionals whose work you admire, invite longtime contacts out for coffee to reconnect – anything you can do to keep old relationships strong and seize opportunities to forge new ones.
RELATED: Is Networking a Selfish and Self-Serving Process?
4) Challenge yourself:
Taking on new projects can be a great way to show your boss you’re adaptable and a valuable asset to the company. Offer to step in where you normally wouldn’t have responsibilities. Or, ask your boss if you can shadow a colleague in another department to learn how various aspects of the company work. Your boss will like to see you taking initiative to beef up your skills – and this can also reflect well on you come promotion time.
5) Ask about telecommuting:
Determine if you have a job that would be suitable for working at home. Do you have all the necessary software? Can you keep to deadlines? Can you turn in projects electronically? Will you be able to keep your boss updated on your progress? Take advantage of our technologically-connected world by asking your boss if you can do a test run working from home one day. If it works out, you may be able to snag a few additional days each month during which you can telecommute–and this will do wonders for your work-life balance.
Loving your job often takes nothing more than a slight attitude change and a motivation to seize new opportunities to help you grow. Consider these tips as you gear up for your career in 2017. Good luck!
