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  |  Family & Friends  |  Emotional well-being  |  The happiness workshop: week three
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The happiness workshop: week three

by Susan Quilliam
continued from page 1
Making life work
Nowadays we spend increasing amounts of time at work - and define ourselves more and more by the work we do. So don't undermine your happiness with a job you don't enjoy or which doesn't boost your self-esteem. If you want to be happy:

  • Get the right job. Whether you're in employment or caring for your children, you will spend at least a third of your time working. If you're unhappy, something needs to change. Do you need better working conditions? Do you want a different job spec? Do you need more training or support? Be proactive, if necessary, getting professional career advice from a mentor or employment guidance service.

  • Have the right attitude. However great your work, with the wrong approach, you can make it miserable. On the other hand, even if your job is awful, you can improve your day by brightening your approach. Look to the positive, work on feeling good about yourself and let that spin out onto your job. If things get bad, don't whinge. You will gain more respect from management and feel better about yourself if you improve your own performance or assertively ask for improvements.

  • Look to the long term. Career strategies aren't just for City high-flyers. Everyone, including mums, need to have a career development plan. So take some time out to imagine where you're going to be and what you'll be doing in five years time. Then work backwards, sorting out the steps you need to take in order to get there. If going back to work - or owning the firm - by 2007 means taking a course now, get moving right away.

    More resources
  • See the Parenting channel for family support.
  • For career advice and support, see the Work & Career channel
  • What Color Is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles (Ten Speed Press)
  • Attitude Is Everything by Keith Harrell (Vermilion)


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