A lot of us hold our careers very near and dear to our hearts. Does this mean we absolutely love them to death? Maybe, maybe not. But it does mean something that happens at work directly impacts our mood, our income, and our families. That’s a big deal. Let’s get our work life in shape to let the good feelings funnel down and around to the other parts of our life.
This post is part of a 14 part series on How to Be a Better Person. I’ve also super-duper fancied this group of posts up into an Amazon Kindle book. Check it out: Forget Perfect, Just Be Better: 101 Simple Ways to Grow in Relationships, at Work, in Life, and Through God.
1) Be Great to Your Cube
Mate
When I’m at work, I like to be busy doing stuff that makes a difference. But every once in a while I’m pushing and pushing so hard I lose my super-cheer and go into “gotta get it done” mode. It’s usually about this time someone slips a candy or two onto my desk without my knowing. Such a nice little surprise and it helps anchor me back to my good place. Much appreciated.
We can sometimes fall into the trap of forgetting we’re working with people, and not just coworkers. If you constantly think of Bobby Joe as “just the guy who packages stuff,” then you’re doing a real disservice to yourself, Bobby Joe, and the company. We need to remind ourselves to step back every once in a while, realize that we’re dealing with honest-to-goodness people, and work will get done better if we work everything out.
Just Be Better: Ask other people if they need help with something today. If they say no, gently press a little bit and see what you can help out with. If they offer a choice, don’t pick the easiest choice. Heck, go buy them a fancy coffee or refreshing tea as an added surprise.
Be a cubical ninja of kindness.