When you think of going into work each Monday morning, do you envision palm trees, cool ocean breezes, and relaxation by the beach? Thanks to my seven-year old son I do. Okay, maybe not the cool ocean breezes and relaxation part, but paradise is now a word I use to describe work. He came with me to my office over the weekend while I cleaned up some emails and as he walked past my colleague's office he simply said, "Wow, that looks like paradise." Can't say I had ever thought that before, but it did get me thinking a bit.
To provide some additional background, my colleague has some tropical plants and pictures that do have a south Florida feel to them. What I am pretty certain my son did not indirectly mean to say was that coming into work every day must feel like paradise to me as well. But I asked myself the question, "Why not?" I do thoroughly enjoy my job, have fabulous co-workers, am spoiled with a great view out my window of nature and the woods, and have been having fun at work for the past ten years. Now if only we were near a beach instead of piles of snow from an Iowa winter........
You may not be able to make direct references to your work being paradise, but here are some thoughts to consider going into the new week:
1) Determine if there is any "paradise" in your current role. If you cannot in any way, shape, or form refer to your work as paradise in some small regard, why are you still in your position? While we all have to work to pay bills and survive, you should not settle for a miserable experience to achieve that goal. Take some risks, explore some options, talk to others that you trust regarding your search. As a recruiter I oftentimes tell a candidate at the outset of a search that you may very well find out that staying put is by far the best option. But you won't know it if you don't have some conversations.
2) It is all about perspective. For a short period of time on Saturday I'm sure my son thought it must be really cool to come into my office five days a week. But every time I ask him if he'll trade places with me on a Monday and come to work while I go to his school, he quickly realizes how good he has it. Perhaps that is the case with your job currently as well. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence, so take a comprehensive look at your current position and think for a while about what you have to be thankful for. You might surprise yourself. If you cannot find much, then it could very well time to consider a change.
3) It is NOT all about money. One of the first questions we typically ask candidates is salary expectations. It is a very critical part of anyone's search. But it should not be the primary motivator for making a job move. You might make 20% more in a new role only to find out you miss some of your old co-workers. Or the flexibility you used to have with your old boss. Or the relative stability of your old position. Happiness cannot be measured with dollars and cents, so be careful with using this as a main motivator.
What else makes your office or working environment a possible "paradise"? I would love to hear your thoughts and comments as encouragement to anyone out there looking for some positive energy going into a new week and a new month.
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