Thursday, March 4, 2010

Finding Happy

I am huge fan of Oprah, which is somewhat puzzling since I rarely watch the show. I’ve been working pretty much 8AM to 5PM every working day of the past 10 years and the show comes on at 4PM where I live. I did watch it regularly from as early as I can remember up to the point I entered the workforce so I have some pretty solid history with Oprah regardless. To make up for missing the actual broadcasts, I get as much as I can from the web, subscribe to her site, listen to Oprah Radio, etc.

Imagine my delight at seeing that the eNewsletter articles and quotes all centered around the topic of happiness. Just in time for me since I rolled out of bed this morning under a cloud of regret, misery and otherwise unpleasant thoughts of work and career. One of the articles, here, talks about how most of us want to be happy but don't really know what it is that would bring about said happiness. The author, Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D., says "Most people do not know how to describe what they want, because they don't have a clue what it really is."

Interesting . . .

Over the course of a typical day choc full of routines and deadlines, requirements and expectations, the last thing that thing that generally crosses my mind is whether or not I'm happy. Of course, there are pockets of time here and there when I'm absolutely elated; laughing with coworkers in the break room, listening to my children attempt to carry on supposedly important conversations in the back seat, prowling Facebook before bed. These are clear high points of my day. But the happiness this article is referring to is that wide reaching, all encompassing, deep and abiding contentment with life in general. How many of us even think about happiness on this level? The more I read, the more I felt the need to do a quick self-assessment!

Working Girls, is your work fulfilling? Do you have a job or career? Are goals clear and attainable? Where do you want to be in 5, 10, even 15 years? Are you as happy as you can possibly be? As you want to be? Those are just a few questions to start with. . .

9 comments:

~Elizabeth aka Lacquered Lizard said...

I've been mulling this one over for a couple years now..and I'm getting to a place where what I need to do is finally coming clearer...now to conquer the fear!

Simone Anne said...

Hello Working Girl and Working Girl readers!

I follow your blog and thought you might be kind of interested in this:

http://simoneanne.blogspot.com/2010/03/5000-views-and-giveaway.html

Yipee!

Thanks,
Simone

Corporate Chickee said...

Great post, WG! I am luck enough to say that I think I have finally found a career that makes me truly happy - only 6 years out of college (has it been that long?!) Right after college I spent 1 year, 6 months, 2 years working 'jobs' and wasn't truly happy/satisfied at any of them. I had high highs and low lows with those jobs. At my current position, I have only been here for almost 3 years - but I have yet to experience that "I HATE my job" feeling, and while I still have some lows (nothing is perfect), I can truly say that I still LOVE my job, and am very happy.

It took me coming at what I love (health, wellness, fitness) from all different directions - personal trainer, insurance, non-profit, but now as a corporate wellness consultant, I feel as though I have finally found my niche!

Happy friday to all the working girls!

Kristen said...

I feel lucky enough to have figured out what career path makes me happy during my undergrad: public health. I have worked at a health department, nonprofit, and now a university. I love my job, even though I've only been here 3 weeks! I found out early, that I'm happiest when I'm directly helping someone. That's not for everyone, but it makes me excited to go to work in the morning!

Anonymous said...

What a great post. I unfortunately am not in a happy place with my job. The one thing I can say about it is that it is a job that is well on it's way to being a career because I'm learning from the best in my field and I'm meeting a lot of important people. My goals a clear, it's just a matter of when and how. I hope to have a handle on my career path within the next 1-2 years so that I can be successful and in demand in no more than 5. Happiness is hard to come by right now. It's hard to want to make a change for the betterment of my career when we are in such a down economy. Gotta hang tight for while until it's the right time. I know I can be happy someday. I'm working on it.

Ellen said...

I have a job...and a career...well, I'm trying to hold onto it with everything I have. Even though I've been insanely financially stressed since I lost my job last summer, I've also been happier. I'm no longer complacent and I've doing things outside of my comfort zone. I'm shooting for the stars, and if I land in the clouds, I'll be OK with that, too.

http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/

Seattle Kim D said...

Excellent question. I am currently job searching as I was laid off from my advertising job so I am not as happy as I could be BUT I feel happier now than when I was working. I really want to get back to my PR roots so I feel like this setback, while challenging, will make me happier in the long run. How about you, are you happy?

umuts said...

thank you

prashant said...

I need to do is finally coming clearer...now to conquer the fear!
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