8 ways to add joy to your job

Are you curious about what’s holding you back from being your best, from being the greatest version of you while embracing your uniqueness?

Growing up, I was taught that any work was good work as long as you did it well, worked hard and did your best. What messages did you get about work, working, being an employee or boss? As I entered the business world in the early 90s, it was still a business-formal environment — think hose, heals and shoulder pads.

Fast forward to the 2000s, and my list of business mistakes and missteps was long and at times embarrassing. Then I heard about Vistage. A business friend was becoming a Chair and I was his first member. As our meetings started, I realized that I was not the only one struggling to get it right and felt less alone, like I had joined a club where it was normal to have struggles or issues and it was okay to accept praise for accomplishments.

Some more experienced leaders had already solved many of the problems I was struggling with — how amazing it was when they shared solutions!

I was inspired and began to pay more attention to the leading indicators before success or failure and a pattern emerged. There were eight areas that — when working — allowed me to experience more joy and less stress at work: mindset, physical, nature, entourage, family, fiscal, community and timeline.

And I discovered that there was only one me. When I showed up as me, instead of who I thought people thought I should be, again, there was more joy every day, whether it was negotiating with a vendor or having a difficult discussion with a co-worker.

The 8 facts for finding joy

Here is a brief overview of each of what I call “facets” that when serving me result in joy and appreciation in my work and personal life. The idea is not perfection, but, simply, 51% of the time they bring me a positive, curious outlook instead of one that yields shame, regret or embarrassment.

1. Gratitude, awareness and appreciation of abundance and opportunity, even when learning from mistakes.
2. Physical: The choice to treat my body and mind with respect and care.
3. Nature: Taking advantage of this free source of peace, calm and beauty.
4. Entourage: Being intentional about spending time with people who love and support me.
5. Family: Spending time with family who bring out the best in me and I in them.
6. Fiscal: Deciding to let money work for me rather than against me and being realistic about financial decisions.
7. Community: Giving back without strings attached.
8. Timeline: Taking time to think about what I want my legacy to be and living it now.

What are your 3 words?

If you want to find more peace and joy in your job, getting to know yourself is a great starting point. What three words describe you at your very best? Are you kind, generous and focused? Are you rested, light-hearted and loving?

I love asking people what their three words are. Their answers usually come quickly, and I see them having an “a-ha” moment as one person says “driven” and someone next to them says “grateful.” There are no right or wrong answers. Some people like to rhyme or sort of rhyme like “kind, grind and devine.” Others like alliteration: “generous, grateful and goofy.” My three words are “fit, fun and focused.”

Every day I ponder how I am living them. The more I think about them, the more my mind helps me make decisions that strengthen them. That also signals me to hang out with people who feed and encourage the three words that describe me at my best. I spend my time doing things “in” those words when I think and journal about them regularly.

The more I think about my three words, the more I start and end my day with a positive thought about them. What was your first thought this morning? Was it generally positive, like ‘I’m going to go for a walk and start my day moving?’ Or, was it a negative thought, an internal scoff a shameful recollection? Being aware of what thoughts come to you right as you wake up and just before you drift off, will help you understand if your brain is feeding you positive or negative ones.

Seeing your ‘shadow’

If you are getting more negative thoughts than positive, taking time to read, journal or think of a positive experience when you wake up and right before you go to sleep will help rewire your brain in a direction that will bring you more serenity. Then, the actions and thoughts that are good for you will come with more frequency.

There is, as Carl Jung would say, a shadow side to your best self. And I’ve found that the same applies to your three words. Think about what their opposites are. Mine are “weak, wounded and worried.” If you like alliteration or rhyme, pick opposite words that start with the same letter or rhyme with three words that describe you at your best. Sometimes I use “sick, sad and scattered” instead for my shadow words.

The idea is to understand the words that are the opposites of those that describe you at your best so that you can recognize situations to avoid, stop a bad habit before it fully develops and identify people who are more likely to encourage and invite time and energy in shadow-enhancing experiences or thoughts.

Get to know yourself

Take time to learn who you are and how joyful a life you can lead.

By thinking and journaling about each of the eight facets, you will learn ways to come to terms with experiences and people that don’t serve you while enhancing your natural gifts and strengths. You will feel like anything is possible as you become more in tune with your natural abilities and the barriers to a joyful life simply disappear.

Want to learn more? Then be sure to register for Becky’s discussion, 8 Pathways to Personal Growth & A Sharper You, which includes a facilitated Q&A session with Vistage Chair Aimee Daniels.

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