Take the drag out of going into the office every day.

Let's be honest, shall we, there is no universe where everyone is happy with the job that they have. Many of us, have to work because a job pays an income and even if it is at the bare minimum, it's better than nothing at all. There is however nothing remotely exciting about having to wake up before the sun to return daily to a job that feels like pulling teeth. Becoming an entrepreneur isn't what everyone is made for, and besides, in the economy that we are forced to live in, that is much more risky if you have to hold down a home and a family. It may not feel like there are many or even any options that would make this existence any better and you most likely resigned yourself to a life that ends with a small retirement package and no life in between.

What if I told you that being a worker for the sake of trying to carve out a living for yourself, can be much more fulfilling than you realize? In coaching in the healing, abuse, and personal growth space, I see how easy it is for my clients to miss small steps that can make their lives exponentially better, and it is simply because they don't have the external perspective that I get to have in their sessions.

Proximity to your situation is most times the reason why moving forward and happiness evades you. This applies to everything in your life, including your job.

How you may ask, are you able to have a better life experience with your current job status? The simple answer is, by curating the space you are in with the things and people that give you joy and bring more meaning into your life.

The cubicles we are sometimes stuck in, tend to be filled with documents on the desk, pictures of family on the cubicle wall, and maybe a colleague we don't get along with, sitting right beside us. It can be pretty daunting to have to return to the reports and these people every day, feeling like we don't have any options outside of this dark little space to make a living. One of the things we underestimate though is our ability as humans to create meaningful associations in the places we have to be in.

Humans are designed for connection with one another. A job may be fulfilling in a sense but without relationshional equity built up with the people you have to work with, it's tougher to feel like your position will evoke the fulfillment required to continue for another couple of years.

The only way I put this to you is, if you know that you won't be going anywhere anytime soon, would you not much rather have a good experience while you are there? It's funny how we never really consider that our experiences are based on our perception of the world. This is why creating a space that is good for you emotionally, mentally, and physically is always your responsibility.

I too often talk to people who work in toxic environments and find that it makes the job they want to do so much harder. Self-awareness plays a very big part in how to manage the toxicity and most times it comes down to self-worth and self-esteem. We are taught that everything that happens to us must have something to do with us and our character directly, when in fact, a toxic work environment usually has to do with one or two people in the office and their own insecurities, whatever that may be. I'd love to say, don't take what they say personally, but I am very aware of the fact that if you are dealing with a low self-image, it becomes very difficult to navigate around the negative things happening in the office.

The simple solution for all of the above is one, how much inner work are you willing to engage in to make sure that your experience in your work environment is not impacted by those you have to encounter every day? Less than 1% of the workforce consider that working on their internal environment is the most effective way to manage their work/life balance and turn any place into a pleasurable environment. It sounds simple, I know because I am sure you have by now listed off all of the challenges that may present themselves in this pursuit, but what I need you to ask yourself is, what do you really have to lose?

There are so many more benefits to doing the self-work to consider. Firstly, understanding your self-worth without compromise will put things into perspective. If you aren't swayed by what other people think of you, you are less likely to overwork to prove yourself to the powers that be. The only competition you should have indeed is yourself, and focusing on becoming better for yourself should be your main priority. A healthier self-image will also allow you to say no gracefully, putting boundaries in place that prevent you from being taken advantage of in your work environment and negotiating extra tasks in a way that also benefits you. We are taught to believe that those we work for are the only ones in control of how we do our jobs, when in fact, the more self-worth and realization you can achieve, the more productive you will become.

Secondly, self-worth inadvertently helps you build your emotional maturity, which is vital for working in teams. A level of self-awareness will teach you to listen more than you react. The only way to make sure you are achieving highly and enjoying it at the same time is by allowing yourself to be the less reactive in the room, and rather the most responsive to any challenge that arises. This can be challenging if you feel like you aren't being heard, yet, by simply shifting your point of view, you could become the voice that carries value because you listen and respond to what is needed instead of reacting to feeling unheard. The relationships in your office space need to be navigated with care because whether you realize it or not, most of the people in your office most likely are also only there because they have to be. This will also require you to validate those you work with and give compliments where necessary. You don't have to become the therapist in the office but you can make your job so much more enjoyable when you are creating healthy and safe connections that make coming to work every day a joy.

The last and most simple thing that you should consider implementing is how you set up your office. Most of the time we just leave things as is and maintain the status quo because we don't believe we have the room or the permission to change things around a little bit. Actively talking to those who lead you about activities that staff members want to take part in, adding plants and beautiful things to look at and a space for coffee conversations will change your environment in literally no time. We underestimate the human brain's need for beauty, laughter, and fun. Most jobs aren't fun in their nature, which is why fun implementation, like in relationships, needs to be seriously considered as an option. If you aren't passionate about your job, the least you can do is be passionate about the space you are working in. The amount of motivation that can come from these small shifts will show up in the work produced.

We need to consider that reputation, ethics, and discipline are necessary for any environment to function at its best, but that does not have to exclude ways to make the environment as pleasurable as it can be for its employees. After all, the only memories that matter at the end of the day are the good ones we can create while we are there.