Alice Elliott
There are many times when you’re stuck in a rut and the walls around you seem so high and there’s no ladder handy to help you get out. But –
Without appearing to be annoyingly cheerful, Eric Idle knew exactly what to say: “Always look on the bright side of life”.
I had to perform a task that I felt to be useless and a waste of time. I couldn’t see the point and I would have much rather done something much more productive, but the alternative I had offered had been rejected, and that was that.
So I put on a brave face and made the best of it. And, do you know what? – it wasn’t that bad. There is always something worth-while in whatever you do, however trivial and annoying, if you look hard for it. I could’ve just swiped it with a tar-brush and dispatched it as no-go, but instead I made an effort and tried hard to see something good in it.
And I did! I learned a good lesson. It was presented me in a way that I wouldn’t have thought of, had I been in a different situation. It would have passed me by, and I would have missed its benefits. As it was, I now have another perspective to contemplate, which I hope will contribute to the rich tapestry of life and make me a better person!
Thanks for sharing this. Your title is truly provocative. Sadly so many are in ‘bad’ jobs. I think the approach you advocate is very necessary but it is also true that there are some truly toxic work situations that the focus must be to resolve or exit to preserve physical and mental health. Sadly in my own experience as a woman in the labour force, I have noticed that it is other women, more so then men who keep a toxic environment going. I am from Jamaica and I am disturbed to see the behaviour of many of our female leaders in the workplace. They seem to be trying to act out their perceptions of what it is like to be a man. It can’t work and in their confusion and utter frustration due to their fundamental discontent, they seek to make the lives of the vulnerable at work miserable.
Still back to your point, we must remain open to the good that lies even in bad situations. It is also funny how as the environment related to work changes, even if the work dynamics remain the same –you come to appreciate them differently. Case in point, this global recession, may give a positive perspective of still having a bad job (smile).
http://wisdomatwork.wordpress.com/
It always amazes me how language and a provocative title such as the above can make you think. I reckon that having to do a job which seems like a bad job at first… or ‘doing a bad job’… or even being in a bad or toxic job all seem to have one thing in common – a feeling of being powerless in that situation. At least perhaps, until you decide how to view the situation and what to do about it?
Hi Alice, enjoyed your post and could identify with this particular situation too. My pal Mary Poppins – ‘in every job that must be done there is an element of fun …’ helps me through such trying times and occasions. Although it may not always be fun, tackling the task with a different mindset can often make the difference!
Ah Mary, the days are drawing ever closer to spring, the snowdrops are bobbing their glistening heads and the magpies are already squabbling over nesting material… there’s always something positive to look or strive for around every corner!