Many folks drag themselves to work day in, day out, knowing full well that their sole motivation for doing so is the paycheck they'll collect at the end of the week. But for some people, a paycheck alone isn't enough incentive -- they want meaningful jobs they can actually take pride in.
What sorts of things serve as sources of pride for today's workers? Business backer FundRocket did a little digging to find out, and these items topped the list:
- Personal skill level
- Product or service offered
- Reputation
- Self-reliance
- Self-improvement
If you want to feel good about the work you do, it pays to focus on these areas. A boost to one or more of them is liable to change your job-related outlook for the better.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.
1. Personal skill level
It's easy to grow complacent with your skill set when you're good at what you do and don't get many complaints. But if you don't make an effort to constantly improve your skills, you might get stuck in a rut. Therefore, think about the things you're talented at already, and strive to get even better. And don't just consider the hard skills that are specific to your job; there's much to be gained from buffing up soft skills like communication, time management, and organization.
2. Product or service offered
While you probably can't completely overhaul the product or service your company offers on your own, you can likely take steps to make it better so that you feel better about it. If you have ideas to improve your product or service line, take them to your manager. And if your own manager won't listen, look for another one who will. It's never easy to march into the boss's office and rock the boat, but if someone high enough on the ladder takes your suggestions seriously, it could change your job for the better.
3. Reputation
Building a solid reputation at work is something that takes time. You can help things along, however, by making an effort to be that colleague who's supportive of others and generally willing to lend a hand. Owning up to your mistakes and knowing when to apologize will also help your colleagues view you in a more positive light, as will maintaining an upbeat attitude and exercising humility.
4. Self-reliance
There's something quite uplifting about feeling capable of conquering whatever task is thrown at you. If you're not yet at the point where you feel comfortable of handling every aspect of your job independently, pay attention to the folks who are, and see what they're doing differently. Some of that confidence might come with time, but it also might require an attitude adjustment on your end. If you work on boosting your skills (see item 1 again), you might quickly grow more self-reliant, and get more enjoyment out of the job you're doing.
5. Self-improvement
It's not an easy thing to look at yourself, acknowledge your shortcomings, and work on fixing them, but if you're willing to make the effort, you stand to feel better about your work. Therefore, take some time to focus on improving yourself, whether that means changing your approach to your job, or acknowledging that you still have a lot to learn and mapping out a plan to get there.
Your job should serve as a source of pride. After all, you spend about a third of your waking hours there. So if your work isn't providing you with enough of that feeling, look to the areas from which pride in profession is most likely to come, take steps to upgrade yourself in them, and enjoy a new and improved outlook.
