The ‘Misery Vacuum’ and The ‘Happiness Pump'

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Why do most of us complain about work? Why is job satisfaction so important to us? Well, if you spend more than 40 hours a week on something, it’s only natural that you expect many things in return.

What if I tell you that the source of energy does not have to be the same as the source of income. And it is possible that work is mainly functioning as a stable financial supporter while your fulfilment comes more from running marathons, playing with the kids and community services. How different does it make you feel?

Maybe a sense of relief? It is okay to not wanting so much from work; it’s okay if you cannot find enough meaning and purpose from the job. All that is missing from work can be obtained elsewhere.

Perhaps it’s easier to let go? The late night meetings that you could not push back, the endless alignments that diminish your sense of progress, the forgetful colleague who never returns your email.... Knowing something much more important and enjoyable around the corner makes all these annoying moments less painful. It becomes easier to forgive others and to not take things personally. 

Or even stimulated by new possibilities? Life is much more than a desk and a laptop. You have much more to offer than Microsoft skills. One of the most important questions to answer in life is knowing what really gives you satisfaction and happiness. And create the best possible opportunities to allow yourself to do more of those.

There are two kind of mechanics stirring our feelings every day- a ‘misery vacuum’ sucking energy and positivity, and a ‘happiness pump’ injecting satisfaction and joy.

This is not to say that work is designated to be the ‘vacuum’. As a matter of fact, if you are able to say ‘I love my job’, you should definitely celebrate for being one of the fortunate few who found a perfect marriage of passion, satisfaction and income support.

For most of us that are not fully fulfilled by the paid job, we could also look closer to the various activities and connections at work, and make a distinction of which ones are the ‘pump’ and which ones are the ‘vacuum’. In times when the switch off button on the vacuum is beyond your control, just make sure your pump works hard enough to get your mojo back!

Have fun pumping! ;-)

 

 

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