#NewYearsResolutions #SuccessAtWork #WorkBetter
What do you want to do to make your life better in the new year?
Sure, most of us want to lose weight, but, if you are like most, you say that every year and it doesn’t happen. A few disciplined folks reach their weight goals, or come close, and should be congratulated.
Rex Huppke, who writes for the Chicago Tribune, has a great New Year’s tradition. He turns his column over to some wise folks he has met and interviewed in the past year, and lets them share their thoughts and advice about the workplace. His column was published in the Jan. 3, 2016, edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Sharon Salzberg, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society and author of “Real Happiness at Work,” says we often fixate on unrealistic goals – resolutions – that prioritize perfectionism over self-forgiveness. Because of the stress in a normal workplace, she recommends setting goals that compassionately acknowledge the ups and downs of the journey toward our goal, Huppke’s columns says.
In other words, give yourself a break. We can’t predict what will happen in the next few minutes in the workplace, never mind over the next year. Priorities change. Duties change. Bosses change. Salzberg suggests cultivating positive intentions. Do what you can to roll with the situations, and contribute what you can to make whatever happens as smooth and successful as possible.
Meanwhile, Heidi Grant Halvorson, psychologist and author of “No One Understands You and What to Do About it,” says you don’t have a clue what others really think of you. But, research has shown that others don’t think of you the way the way you think of yourself.
She recommends learning how you come across by asking some whom you know well. It may be the first step toward having people “get” you.
Avraham Kluger, professor of organizational behavior at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, suggests learning how to be a better listener, and describes how to do that. Practice on folks to whom you might not want to listen to, and let that person know you are practicing your listening skills. (You don’t have to tell them that you don’t like listening to them).
Other experts have suggested that you become more likeable if you listen more, and talk less.
Huppke lists several other ideas from experts on how to make 2016 as good as it can be for you in the workplace. Whatever your job, know that it is up to you to make your time in the workplace as pleasant, as meaningful and, yes, as productive as possible.
In years past, workers cared only about getting their hours in, with little regard for what they did in those hours. In today’s workplace, marking time by itself won’t cut it. Even if you see others doing it, don’t believe that you will get away with it. Today’s jobs are fluid, and fleeting. They change on a dime. Workers either have to adapt, or leave.
Of course, if your time at work is giving you little or no reward, financial or otherwise, there are many other ways to earn money outside of that job. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You may see something a bit out of your comfort zone, but success is almost never created from comfort.
If you like your job, and find it fruitful and fulfilling for YOU, you are very fortunate. Still, never presume it will last as long as you want it to. Always have a Plan B in mind in case the worst happens. It’s unlikely that if the worst happens, you will know it in advance. It often comes as a shock.
So try to become a better person at work this year. You may find fulfillment you’d never imagined. You may find success you thought was never possible. You might even find something other than money that gets your juices flowing.
Have a happy 2016 with whatever you decide to work on.
Peter