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How To Like Your Job More (Even When You Hate It!)

Writer's picture: Lela MarieLela Marie

We've all been there - you're all nice and comfy-cosy in your bed, blissfully unaware of your own existence, when suddenly, your alarm screeches in your ear, jolting you out of your peaceful slumber. It's Monday morning (AGAIN! šŸ™„šŸ˜„šŸ˜«šŸ¤¬) and you're not happy about it (at all!).

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If you're like many people (me included!), you don't even necessarily have a job because you want one but sadly, life can be expensive. We all have bills to pay and unfortunately, living our lives costs money.

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Even if you think you hate your job, there are a few tips and tricks you can use in order to try to make yourself feel better about the fact that you need to have one.

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Change Your Attitude and Practice Gratitude

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Attitude and mindset play a BIG part in how we feel about everything. If you find that yours is mostly negative when it comes to your 9-5, there are a few things that you can do to change that.

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You may not be able to control the fact that you need a job to survive in this world, but you can definitely change the way you think and the things that you tell yourself about the job that you currently have (that's not to say that it's going to be easy, but it canĀ be done! You just need to be consistent and put in the effort to do so).

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The first step to changing your attitude toward your job is to grab a pen and paper, or the Notes app in your phone and write down every single little thing about your job that you are grateful for.

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This could be anything from the obvious, such as the fact that having a job allows you to put food on the table or a roof over the head of your loved ones, all the way down to the tiny details that some might overlook or take for granted - for example, maybe your workplace supplies paper towels in the restroom for you to dry your hands, or tea and coffee making supplies in the kitchen.

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Get creative with your list and write down everything that you can think of. Big or small, write it down.Ā Here are a few examples to get you started:

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  • You might be grateful for that one colleague who never fails to make you laugh or smile.


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  • Maybe your workplace put on a BBQ every Friday or buy everyone pizzas or morning tea once a month.


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  • You might be grateful that having a job gives you a reason to get out of bed in the morning.


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  • You might be grateful that your job grants you the opportunity to get excited and look forward to the weekend, or returning to your home at the end of your shift, or that annual leave break that you have coming up. Without a job, these small luxuries might have no impact or meaning in your life whatsoever.


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  • You might be grateful that your job provides you the funds to enjoy your free time travelling, catching up with friends and family for a meal at a restaurant or coffee in the park.


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  • You might be grateful that your job allows you the opportunity to get out of the house and socialise with others (which is especially important for anyone who might be living alone).


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  • You might be grateful for the industry that you work in, or that your workplace allows you to select your desired start and finish times or that your job is close to home, or pays well.


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  • Maybe your workplace supplies uniforms, meaning that you don't need to try to figure out what to wear each day.


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  • Maybe your job is physical which might be hard, but this might mean that you save money on requiring a gym membership or the obligation to spend your free time working out at home.


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  • You might be grateful that your job shuts down for a few weeks over Christmas.


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  • Maybe your workplace allows you to work from home a couple of days a week.

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The more grateful that we can be toward any aspect of our lives, the more God or Life or The Universe will give us things to be grateful for.

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Once you have your list, keep it on you at all times and refer to it often. Pull it out and read it before work every morning or any time during your work day that you find yourself grumbling about your job.

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Change The Way You Think By Changing The Things You Tell Yourself

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Another trick to help in changing your attitude toward work would be to use replacement thoughts. Any time you catch yourself complaining that you hate your job, flip the script.

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Tell yourself that you don't haveĀ to work, you getĀ to work. As much as we tell ourselves that we hate our jobs and the fact that we have to work for a living, many of us are actually pretty lucky if we even have a job in the first place.

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Sadly, there are many people around the country and even the world, who don't have the same opportunities that we do.

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Some people are desperate to have a job but just can't manage to find one. Some people may be too young, too old or too ill to work and others may have a spouse or family member who won't allow them to do so.

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Many jobs are being made redundant, leaving many people unemployed, struggling, and worrying about where their next meal is coming from and whether they will still have a roof over their head next week or that the electricity is about to be switched off.

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If you currently have a job, try to remember that you are one of the lucky ones, even if at times it might not feel like it.

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Find Your Purpose

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Another way that you can help yourself to feel better about your job is to think about the purpose of your job to help you find meaning in what you are doing.

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Donā€™t get confused between your jobĀ and your purpose.Ā Your job is whatĀ you do, your purpose is why you do it and how your job benefits those around you.

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For example, I am currently working in aviation as a Technical Records Officer in the field of air rescue. My jobĀ is to ensure that all of the maintenance paperwork for our aircraft is correct and up to date, but my purpose is to ensure the safety of all patients and crew aboard our aircraft.

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Your jobĀ might be to sell car parts, but your purposeĀ is to help people get their cars fixed. Your jobĀ might be to help people find clothes in their size, but your purpose is to assist people in buying clothing that helps people feel good about themselves.

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Another way to find purpose in your job is to think about the end result or impact that your job has on the people that you are providing a service for.

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For example, if you are a cleaner or a car detailer, you might think of the impact that your services have on your customers such as providing them a clean, calm and aesthetically pleasing environment to spend their time in.

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I know from experience that when my car's a mess or the cleaner hasn't visited our office over the weekend, there are bits all over the floor and the bins are overflowing, I feel stressedĀ as opposed to being in a clean and tidy environment which helps me to feel more calm and peaceful.

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Never underestimate the power or the impact that your job has on enriching the lives of others.

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Have Something To Look Forward To

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This could be anything from your morning coffee to the plans you have for the weekend, the meal you packed for lunch, or the big overseas trip that you have planned.

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Having something to look forward to and appreciating the little things is how we're able to ensure that our lives feel worth living. The little things in life that we can sometimes take for granted are often the biggest blessings.

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Having something to look forward to doesn't necessarily have to be something grandiose and life-changing, it could be something as simple as looking forward to cuddling your favourite pet when you get home from work, meeting up with a friend during your lunch break or spending time admiring your garden at the end of the day.

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Whatever it is, find something to get excited about!

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Start Your Day Off Right

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One way to ensure that you start your day off on the right foot is to make sure that you get to bed on time the night before. Getting a proper night's rest will make it much easier to get out of bed the next day and will most likely put you in a much better mood.

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Also, make sure that you give yourself enough time to do everything that you need to get done before your workday starts.

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It might be super tempting to hit snooze on your alarm and stay in bed as long as humanly possible, but giving yourself only as much time as you need to get ready isn't necessarily the best way to start your day.

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Your morning (or evening, depending on what shift you work) will feel a lot less stressful when you have the luxury of time on your side - and if you leave a few extra minutes for things to go wrong!

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Give yourself enough time before work that you don't need to rush and your day will feel a lot less stressful - especially when you get on the road and realise that the traffic is a lot heavier than you anticipated or your bus arrived a few minutes early!

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Starting work late is a surefire way to ruin your day - especially if you have a busy day ahead, an important deadline, judgmental colleagues or a boss who is less than understanding!

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Starting work early is another option that may help you avoid unnecessary stress. You can then use the time before your shift starts to ease into your day and maybe listen to a podcast, chat with your colleagues or take your time eating breakfast or drinking your coffee - just make sure they don't try to take advantage by making you start working before your shift has officially started!

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Another thing that you can do is create yourself a morning routine that you enjoy. Go for a walk around the block, have breakfast in the park, watch an episode of your favourite TV show while styling your hair, or spend some time meditating in the garden.

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Fit joyful moments into your day wherever you can.

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Take Your Breaks

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Many people try to power through and continue working during their lunch breaks. This may make you feel like you're getting a lot more done however, studies have shown that we're much more productive when we actually take regular breaks and step away from our workspace throughout the day.

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Make the most of your break time and use it as an opportunity to fit a little joy into your day. Make sure that you have something tasty that you look forward to eating (bonus points if it's healthy as it will help you feel good).

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You might also use your break to do something that you find enjoyable - read a chapter of a book, use the opportunity to get outside and take a walk, take the chance to socialise with your colleagues, or meet up with one of your friends outside of work for lunch.

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Taking regular breaks at work will help you reset and be more productive once you get back into it.Ā 

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Personalise Your Workspace

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We spend a third of our lives at work, so if you're lucky enough to have a designated workspace or your own desk or office, do your best to make it a comfortable and pleasant place to be.

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Fill your space with pictures or quotes that inspire you, photos of your pets, friends or family, or stationery in your favourite colour. Make sure that you have everything that you need within your reach.

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Adjust the temperature to suit you in any way that you can. If you often get cold at work, you might consider bringing a jacket, a blanket, a hot water bottle or a foot heater.

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If you get too hot, maybe you can plug in a fan, use a cooling towel or wear lightweight clothing in breathable fabrics.

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Get Organised

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Being as organised as possible at work is a great way to avoid unnecessary stress.

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Write yourself a to-do list so that you donā€™t forget any of the important tasks that you need to get done during your workday.

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Number or colour code the items on your list in order to prioritise the most important things and get them done first. Cross things off as you go so that you know what's already been done and what you still have left to do.

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Don't be afraid to re-write your list or change your priorities throughout the day if you need to and drop anything that is less important if you start to feel overwhelmed.

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If anything that you do during the day requires more than 3 steps to complete, you might benefit from creating yourself a checklist - this way, if you get interrupted part way through what you are doing, you can always go back to your checklist to make sure you've completed each step of the procedure and haven't missed anything important.

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Another way to stay organised at work is to have everything that you need within your reach. Have a place for everything and put things back in their place the minute that you have finished using them.

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Not only will you avoid losing things this way, you will be more productive as you will spend less time looking for the things you need or being frustrated that your things are missing.

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Make Friends With The People That You Work With

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Sometimes it's more about the people you work with than it is about the job that you do.

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Work can be a great place to interact, socialise and build relationships with others, so do yourself a favour and try to build relationships with anyone at work that you think you might click with.

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It's always good if you can have a laugh with your colleagues throughout the day, so tell jokes, send each other funny emails and take turns shouting each other coffee. You could even bake a tray of cookies, buy a box of donuts to share or organise for everyone to head out for lunch or order in.

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Another way to build strong bonds with your workmates is to meet up outside of work. Meet up for coffee or a meal, head out to a bar for the night or invite them to your place for a BBQ and a swim.

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You could even organise to participate in team sports together, head out to a football game, or do something goofy and fun like heading to a bowling alley.

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The stronger the bonds you can form with your colleagues, the more enjoyable your work life will be.

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Look After Yourself

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If you're not taking proper care of yourself, then it's no surprise that your job (and probably everything else in your life) is making you feel miserable.

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By taking the time to ensure that you're eating healthy, nutritious food, getting plenty of fresh air, sunshine and exercise, drinking lots of water and being sure to incorporate enough downtime into your routine, you will be amazed at how much better you feel and, as a result, how much easier your life will seem.

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When I'm taking proper care of my mind and body, everything in my life just feels so much easier and things that would normally bother me just don't feel like that big of a deal (work included!).

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Learn All You Can And Be The Best You Can Be

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I personally find that the more I know at work, the more I enjoy my job. I often enjoy being the person that people can turn to when they don't know the answers or how to do things. Not to mention the fact that work always feels easier when you donā€™t have to constantly rely on others for help all the time.

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Do yourself a favour and learn all that you can about your job, your industry and the programs or tools that you use.

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Anything that will make you a more valuable employee will also make you feel a lot more confident and satisified with your job.

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Sometimes, the tasks at work that we hate and dread the most are the ones that we find the most difficult. The more we practice these difficult tasks and build skills in these areas, the easier they will become and ultimately, the less difficult and bothersome they should be.

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Don't Worry About What Everyone Else Is Doing

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One thing that Iā€™m sure that many of us are guilty of is paying too much attention to what our colleagues are doing. I get it, the people that we work with can be annoying (even the workmates that we love dearly!).

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Maybe it's the office brown-nose trying to be besties with the boss who is oblivious to the fact that this person spends more time chatting with them than actually doing their job.

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It could be the person sitting there scrolling on Facebook while the phones are ringing off the hook, that guy who laughs too loudly in the hallway or the girl that's always late back from lunch.

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Sure, it can be really irritating when these things are happening all around us and no one else seems to notice or care, but the more attention we bring to something that irritates us, the more it is going to drive us nuts.

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Unfortunately, we can't control what other people are doing, we can only control the way that we respond. The last thing you want to do is let the actions of others eat you up inside. You're only going to stress yourself out, make yourself miserable and ruin your own day.

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As hard as it is, try your best to ignore the annoying habits of your colleagues and focus on what you're doing instead.

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Even if it seems that no one else notices that you seem to be the only one working hard, eventually your work will speak for itself and when it comes time for the company to cut costs, it won't be your head on the chopping block!

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Reward Yourself

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Nothing will make you resent your job quicker than feeling like you're not getting anything out of it, so be sure to treat yourself every now and then to make it all feel worth it.

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Once your bills are paid, put a little aside each week and use that money to spend on something that brings you joy. This could be anything from a new pair of shoes to a day at a theme park or a weekend away.

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Make sure to treat yourself occasionally to remind yourself what you go to work for.

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Make The Most Of Your Free Time

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It's no secret that many of us are spending our lives wishing our days away waiting for the end of our workday or for the weekend to roll around, which is why you really want to make sure that you're making the most of those precious few hours of freedom once you finally get them.

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As we all have different schedules, lifestyles, preferences etc. how you maximise your free time is completely up to you.

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You might want to wake up really early on a Saturday morning, load up the car and head off on an adventure for the day. Alternatively, you might want to enjoy a long, luxurious sleep in followed by watching movies on the lounge all day.

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You might choose to meet with family for a picnic in the park, catch up with friends for a night on the town, or spend the day at home alone working on your favourite hobbies.

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Whatever you decide to do with your free time, make sure that it's something that you enjoy, and whatever you do, DON'T waste your free time thinking about work! We only get a few precious hours of freedom each week - the last thing you want to do is waste it dreading the upcoming work week!

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If All Else Failsā€¦

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At the end of the day, if you've stuck it out and given it your best shot and you find that nothing is working to make you feel better and your job is still getting you down, it might be time to consider what your other options might be.

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Figure out exactly what it is about your job that you're not happy with and do anything within your power to change what you can.

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If it's the people that you work with giving you grief, you may be able to ask to be moved to a different department or one of the company's other branches. Failing that, jump on your chosen job search site to see what jobs are being advertised.

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If it's the industry that you currently work in that you dislike, you could always consider what else you might be able to do. If you don't have the necessary skills to switch industries, you could always look into taking a class or doing a course.

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If you're in a position to do so, you may even be able to opt for a part time job in order to dedicate more time to your side hustle. You never know, you may just end up building your own successful business or brand.

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Whatever you decide, life is too short to be unhappy and settle for a job that's making you miserable. Life is what you make it and if something isn't working for you, it's up to you to change it!

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I'd love to hear about what's going on in your life - are you working at the moment, or are you in the process of deciding what's next for you?Ā 

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If you are currently working, how do you feel about your job? Do you love it, or do you hate it? What steps do you take (if any) to make your job or workday a little more enjoyable?

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I'd love to hear from you!

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Happy to have you here and I hope you have a great day/ night!Ā 


If youā€™d like to see more of my blog posts and follow along on my journey with me, please do me a big favour and be sure to subscribe, join my mailing list etc.! šŸ’–

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Hope to have you back soon. Thanks for reading.

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Lisa. šŸ˜Šxx

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2 Comments


angiemariawood
Feb 08

I totally agree. Too many people choose too settle in there comfort zone eg working in a job they are familiar with because they have been working for years and itā€™s better the devil you know! Now the trend is to find that sweet spot, job career etc. if you can find something you love, go for it. With the tools & technology at our finger tips we have a choice & Life IS what you make it!

Thank you Lisa love your blog!

You are an insperation. Love to read you opinions !šŸ˜ŠšŸ’žšŸŒø

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Lela Marie
Lela Marie
Feb 11
Replying to

Aww thank you so much! Iā€™m so glad you enjoyed it! ā˜ŗļø

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