How To Be Happier in the Cubicle TIP #4

I was thinking about the studies that show people are 53% more likely to feel better and have a more productive day when they dress nice. Studies do show that we are more likely to succeed when we feel better about ourselves. And, for many of us, dressing nice helps us feel better. So I was thinking, instead of telling ourselves we are getting up and getting dressed for another day in a miserable cubicle, we should get dressed for the most important reason…ourselves! This means we would be more likely to endure the cubicle and continue to pursue our dreams outside of the cubicle. I have a friend who took a job in university enrollment sales, but is working on his dream-job part-time in the evenings and on week-ends. He is almost done writing his 2nd novel and it is possible he will be able to be a full-time writer within one or two years.

The bottom line is we need ways to keep us going day after day. Often, the  job we are getting dressed for isn’t the job we would like to be getting dressed for. But the better we feel about ourselves, the more likely we are to succeed at making a transition to a career we would love.  

How To Be Happier In The Cubicle Tip #1 — Make a Long-Term Goal for Success

There is time, and then there is “cubicle time”. These hours on the clock do not move like regular hours. The hands on the clock creep and crawl forward on hands and knees. And just when you think they couldn’t possibly drag any slower, you’ll see the big hand hurl backwards as it laughs in your face. I know. I have seen it happen. But, there are ways to make your work day go by quicker and easier. I want to talk about ways to stop cubicle clock-watching.

First,  the day will go by quicker if you make a long-term goal for yourself. Stop and think about the reasons you show up to your job each day. Of course, the first reason is money.  But many of you are just going through the motions because that job is there and it’s easy. But how easy is it to watch hour after hour of your life tick by? Life is short and we all have dreams. So,  if you take time to make a plan to get yourself into a job that makes you happy, it will happen. And in the meantime, you will be happier at the position you are in because you have a purpose. Instead of your cubicle being the cell that surrounds your circumstance, it can be part of your plan. And THAT will make it a better day.

Your plan should begin with asking yourself, “who am I and what are my strengths?”.  I’m sure that you used to have an answer to the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. Well now is the time to put that answer in motion.  Decide what you want to do and make it happen. How long will it take? Do you need to go back to school? How much money do you need to save? There may be a possibility that the job you are in can help with those issues. Maybe you need a certain amount of money to begin a new internet-based business. Maybe you need to just pay rent while you go back to school.  You can plan a certain amount of time each night to making that happen as you save the money you need. The options are endless but only if you put your plan into action. And once you do, you will see that the “cubicle hours” seem to move a little quicker, because they are working for you and your dreams.

I will end with one of the many Henry Ford quotes that I love.

“Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of
success. ” — Henry Ford