None of us can expect that every moment of every day, either in our personal or in our professional lives, can be riveting, satisfying, joyful, or even pleasant.
It is entirely possible to find out that the list of inevitable “cons” that exist when it comes to finding your inner motivation or mojo to get up, go to work, and to do your job on a daily basis is growing exponentially longer. Sometimes much longer than the reason for which you either look forward to going to work (if you’re lucky) or at the very least don’t utterly dread it.
If this is true, then perhaps you need to weigh your options, prioritize what it is that you expect from your working life. You also need to identify what it is that is making you miserable more than not, and then subsequently seriously consider how much of that negativity is acceptable to you and how much of it is entirely excessive.
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”
Colin Powell
Ponder the following considerations when determining if your struggling motivation has crept into unsafe or potentially dangerous territory in relation to your mental health and overall happiness in life.
• Do you find yourself to be in a persistently grumpy, snappy or foul mood that begins to develop as soon as you wake up on a work day?
Does it become increasingly more pessimistic as the day progresses?
Do you experience this overwhelming feeling of negativity is more of the norm as opposed to it being occasional, every so often “bad day” exception?
If any of these is true, then it is essential you identify what factors within your working life (your schedule, your commute, your work environment, the actual work that you do, and so on) is contributing to this. This will help you determine how you can successfully not only promote, but also sustain your long term health and happiness.
“Stay positive and happy. Work hard and don’t give up hope. Be open to criticism and keep learning. Surround yourself with happy, warm and genuine people.”
Tena Desae
• Identify what things (make as many lists to this end as you need) about your particular occupation (and also the forum in which you perform your vocation) that you abhor.
Or at the very least don’t have a preference for, and what things bring you joy, or at the very least you find tolerable.
In doing so you will allow yourself much more clarity in realizing what it is about your work day that is causing you to be so sluggish in your motivation to get up and repeatedly go to work.
• Obviously, the actual environment in which you work is going to play an enormously big role in determining how motivated you are to go to work every day. One of the most significantly determining factors in your work environment are the social interactions with other people that you are likely to encounter throughout the day.
Perhaps you are an intrinsically social person and you have a job that allows little to no human contact for the hours while you work. In which case you will be left feeling somewhat lonely and empty when the work day is done. This would most certainly be depressing enough to make going back to do it all over again the next day more difficult.
“Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. These are not cliches but real tools you need no matter what you do in life to stay focused on your path.”
Phillip Sweet
On the flip side of that, if you are an introvert by nature and you have a job where you are required to be highly socially interactive, and the quality of your social skills can even factor in to how well you perform or how much money you make. This inherent shyness and fear of failing socially will deter you in the morning from being able to motivate yourself for yet another day.
Also, along these lines would be if you find yourself (because of your co-workers or otherwise) to be in what you consider a hostile work environment, which can be a lot less subtle than overt hostilities such as sexual harassment, etc.
Being miserable at work because you feel generally uncomfortable there would be a hard thing for anyone to motivate past.
Bottom line is, everyone has an off day here and there, but if your “off” days are increasingly becoming “on,” and the good days are fewer and further between, then perhaps it’s time to make a change.
