The Dreaded Post Holiday Return to Work

by Vin Miller

Christmas is over and many people are dreading tomorrow’s return to work. If you’re one of them, have you ever considered how much of an impact your job is having on your health and happiness? Most people spend their entire workday doing work they have no interest in. By the time they get home, they are tired and barely have enough time to eat dinner and run a few errands let alone do something fun. They eagerly look forward to the weekend, only for Monday to reemerge it’s ugly head far too quickly, and they begin the cycle all over again. That’s far from the image I have of a happy and fulfilling lifestyle.

But with the current economy, you should be grateful just to have a job, right? Nobody wants to be unemployed and have a hard time paying bills, but this line of thinking just makes you feel guilty about wanting a better life and undermines your health and happiness even further.

The Time For Money Trade

Sacrificing time for money is something that most of us do and it can be very difficult to be happy living this way. That is unless the time you’re trading is being spent doing something you thoroughly enjoy. Some people are fortunate and love the work they do. In an ideal world, they may rather hang out at the beach or play golf every day, or maybe even just work slightly fewer hours, but they are still doing something that gives them purpose, and it positively affects their health and happiness in a major way. They don’t dread the workday that lies ahead of them each morning and may even look forward to it.

Purpose is Passion

If you’re one of the many people dreading your return to work this week, then maybe it’s a good time for some introspection regarding your life and your career. A few things worthy of consideration are your values, your interests, and how they relate to your current job. If you’re spending 40 or more hours per week doing something you have no interest in, or even worse, doing something that opposes your values, then it’s likely to be dragging you down, and quite possibly more than you realize.

Some people are lucky enough to have not only identified a purpose to their life that they are passionate about, but have also been able to incorporate it into their means of supporting themselves. It should go without saying that this is a far more satisfying way to live than simply giving away your time in exchange for a paycheck. Even if you’re a far way off from identifying a genuine purpose that you’re truly passionate about, your values and interests are a great place to start. If you don’t think that your values and interests correlate well with the work you’re doing, then why not do something about it?

Look to Your Personality for Direction

One thing that will get you closer to identifying a purpose is to learn more about your personality. Although this may sound redundant, your personality is the root of who you are, and in most cases, will dictate what motivates you, what makes you happy, and what drives you crazy. Everyone knows their own personality on a general level, but most people aren’t aware of their deeper tendencies until they start looking thoroughly. A great book to get you started on this path is Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence by David Keirsey. The increased self awareness that this book will guide you towards is very likely to inspire new ideas and help you realize new and exciting directions to pursue.

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