At this time of the year, when many people reflect and make plans, I’d like to offer my own wish for a better world of work, and thank everyone for their support throughout this first eight months of WorkFeelsGood.com.
Regardless of the deep purpose and meaning that some people find in their work, that work can still be a major source of stress.
I live in a city that has seen massive lay-offs due to a decline in oil prices. Many of my friends and associates are either out of work, not getting enough work, or have taken jobs that pay less or with difficult employers. For them and others, I offer these three wishes.
may you have work that sustains you and the people who depend on you
Working and the need to work is a universal, human experience; and the primary motivation for work, for most people, is survival. We cannot find meaning in our work if we do not have any work.
if you have work, may you find meaning in your work
Once we’ve mastered how to get and keep a job, our experience of that job depends on the meaning we make. As I’ve said many times, for most of us, time spent engaged in the many aspects of our working lives will be more than time spent with our children or intimate partners. If your work is not meaningful to you, then, hopefully, you have other deep sources of meaning in your life. Without other sources of meaning, we quickly become disillusioned with the many distractions of our modern world.
may you no longer lose sleep over work
Regardless of the deep purpose and meaning that some people find in their work, that work can still be a major source of stress. One way to define workplace stress is the negative impact to wellbeing caused by change, conflict, frustration and pressure at work. It’s true that we are largely responsible for our own responses to stress, but so much initiation of stress, by others and ourselves, is unnecessary. My wish is that our leaders, and you and I, be more aware of how our behavior impacts those around us.
thank you for your support and kindness
Although WorkFeelsGood.com is only eight months old, I’m overwhelmed and overjoyed with the response from you, my readers. Your direct feedback and your support in social media has made WorkFeelsGood.com better and propelled my consulting work. In 2018, our small team will be navigating WorkFeelsGood.com through new terrain by adding a video blog. Please stay tuned.
With deep gratitude and best wishes for this holiday season,
Tom
