In a recent survey of 180,000 American workers, over 80% indicated an intense dislike for their jobs. This is truly a sad reflection on an activity that absorbs such a major portion in each of our lives.
Maybe it’s time for a conscious reassessment of our philosophy towards work. It seems that many of us are simply working too hard with too little to show for our labors.

Why are we influenced to “work so hard?” As one enthusiastic worker put it up, “I’ve never been afraid to work hard in order to get the pie in the sky I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve always been focused on what I want from life and doing the things I think I need to do in order to get there. Thus, I believe putting in long hours now will help me obtain a level of financial security that will give me the freedom not to work so hard in the future.”

As you can see working hard is such a strong, deep willed idea in today’s competitive workplace that it refuses to let go. I’ve seen many of my clients who have enjoyed the work they are doing, but deep down they think they need to “work even harder” in order to meet specific goals such as achieving financial security. The saddest thing for these individuals is that their entire universe revolves around working hard, rather than using work as a vehicle to achieve personal fulfillment from both their careers and personal lives.

For all of you working too hard, there is one important question, “What is your rate of return?” In the financial world, the annual rate of return is justified in terms of profits yielded on the initial amount of capital invested. Quite simply, if there is little rate of return than the money invested was wasted.

In gauging personal fulfillment on the job, rate of return translates into the amount of time you have to spend working hard to reach a projected outcome. Whether it’s spending more time with your family, early retirement or taking your dream vacation, if you’re working more and still not achieving your most important objectives, than all your sweat and toil is wasted activity.

For people looking to escape this dead end scenario, a simple solution is to begin to look at their workday in terms of three words impacting them the most on a daily basis:

1) Active
2) Doing
3) Pursuing

When you work too hard your career is all about being active, doing and pursuing your goals. You are constantly accumulating unnecessary baggage and reinforcing stale ideas. The key to positive change is to practice doing the exact opposite. For active, the word is inactive, for doing it’s being and for pursuing it’s being comfortable with what you already have, rather than searching for something else.

KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
All too many people approach their jobs like a mosquito in a nudist camp-they see lots of opportunity but can’t decide where to start. Instead, place your primary emphasis on the most fulfilling parts of your job. Apply your talents. Become an expert. Excel.

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
Through coaching the truth most of my clients come to realize is if they are participating in activities they really enjoy, then work doesn’t seem so much like work. Or, in other words, the secret to happiness, success, satisfaction and fulfillment through our jobs is not doing what one likes, but liking what one does.

BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
Generally, successful people are not in a job looking for something to do. They choose their chosen profession in order to accomplish something meaningful. This prerequisite is difficult to explain to those poor souls sitting back and watching the clock until it’s “Miller time.” But for those fortunate individuals who are working to satisfy their deepest passions, rather than for so much an hour, know exactly what it means. Any satisfaction, fun and fulfillment you experience on the job are fringe benefits you give yourself.

The secret to transforming your daily “have-to-do’s” into “want-to-do’s” is to find answers to two very important questions: What do you want out of my life’s work? What are you willing to do make it happen? Therein rests the self-fulfilling formula we need to love our jobs and never have to work another day for the rest of our lives.