Do You Really Hate Your Job, or Are You Just Complaining?

We’ve probably all been there – whether it’s the job you have now – or the job you had three jobs ago. So let me state a fact: no matter what job you have, there will always be things about any job that you will hate. It’s just the way it is. The important thing to understand and reflect upon is what is causing your unhappiness and what the options are to deal with it.

We’ve probably all been there – whether it’s the job you have now – or the job you had three jobs ago. So let me state a fact: no matter what job you have, there will always be things about any job that you will hate. It’s just the way it is. The important thing to understand and reflect upon is what is causing your unhappiness and what the options are to deal with it.

There are a few reasons people believe they hate their jobs.

1. The people.

Maybe you’re the youngest person in the office and you’re treated that way. You’ve worked to show the team you’re knowledgeable and talented and have good ideas, but can’t seem to break through. Or maybe it’s just that these people aren’t your “best friends.” Personally, I don’t want my work people to be my best friends, but they should at least be people I enjoy spending time with. After all, you’ll spend at least 30 percent of your week with your co-workers so you might as well enjoy them.

2. The environment.

This could mean the actual environment with the people. Do your co-workers have negative attitudes, or are stuck in their routines day-in and day-out? It could also mean your life in general or the city/neighborhood in which you work and live. The environment plays a huge role in how we feel about ourselves and our work.

3. Or maybe just the job itself.

At the end of the day and after all the analyzing, maybe you just hate your job. Maybe you went to school to be a teacher only to find out that you don’t enjoy spending eight hours a day with kids. Or maybe you went to school for business and ended up like Chandler worried about the WENUS and now you’re wondering what happened to your life.

So, what are your options?

1. Try to change.

Yourself and others. It is possible for people to change; hard as it may be. But stay passionate. Don’t back down. Come with great ideas and reasoning to back them up. I’ve worked in an office where the ages ranged from 22 all the way to 58. In dealing with that generational gap, it’s important to do things in a way that the 58-year-old sees and believes that you’re working for them. Once they see you’re not there to overturn everything they’ve done, life will get easier.

And when it comes to yourself, change the way you work with the team. It is hard for us to change how we operate, but it also takes a bigger person and if you’re the one who provides the spark for a changed attitude, you’ll be glad you did.

2. Working to make the environment better is by far the toughest.

I said before that people can change, but when the environment is built by those same people, it is awfully hard to make that change. One thing you can do however is to get out! Take a fun day for yourself. And it doesn’t even have to be a day off. Work from the local Panera or your favorite local coffee shop. It stimulates creativity and opens up the mind. Get your co-workers to do the same!

3. Make the ultimate change.

If in the end, you find that no matter what you do, you don’t enjoy going into work in the morning, then it is time for a change. Whether you need a new challenge, new stimuli or just a new environment because of your last job, make the change.

Your job and the energy and passion which you pour into it is a reflection of you. And ultimately, life is too short and too beautiful to spend at a job where you’re unhappy.

Richard Dedor

Richard Dedor is a writer, speaker and personal coach dedicated to helping each person achieve their dreams. He ran for political office at age 18 and recently published his first book, Anything is Possible. You can find him at his blog Believe in Possible and on Twitter @RichardDedor.