Do you hate your job?

If yes, don't immediately blame it on your job. Time for some introspection.

One of my favorite books is called "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl. The author was the creator of "logotherapy," which is a school of psychology that focuses on therapy through meaning. To sum up this concept, Frankl quotes Nietzsche: "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." Frankl describes his experience in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. Frankl was able to survive because he sought and clung to some meaning or purpose that gave him a reason to live.

Now your job isn't life or death (hopefully), but let's think about it. Do you "hate" your job? If so, why? In my experience, I feel most dissatisfied with my job when I don't understand the reason for my task. If the ultimate goal isn't clear to me, then I get frustrated and am considerably less effective. This is why I try to ask questions and understand the "bigger picture" of whatever I'm doing. The knowledge of how my task fits within a larger project helps me feel more relevant: it's like what I'm doing matters more. Without this understanding, my tendency is to adopt an attitude: "Well, what's the point?" "Screw this." Like I said--less effective.

I think that's the first step. If you're dissatisfied with your job, first try to understand how your involvement fits in to a larger process. Ask your boss questions. Who knows, that in and of itself may show him/her that you are more invested in the work. It could inadvertently score you some brownie points.

But maybe you are already intimately familiar with the purpose of your job, and you still hate it. Maybe you find the whole idea pointless. Maybe you disagree with the ultimate goal. Maybe it doesn't sit well with you for some reason. (Maybe I think my client is in the wrong and I'm uncomfortable defending him/her.) What now? Well, now you have to get creative. You have to look deeper for a sufficient "why" to justify your "how." In the case of the "bad" client, I might think he's in the "wrong," but that doesn't change the fact that he should only be liable as far as the facts dictate. My purpose, then, is to minimize his exposure and make sure he doesn't get stuck for more than he is responsible. Or maybe I'm summarizing a very dull deposition (a deposition is where lawyers sit down with a witness and ask hours upon hours worth of questions--all of it transcribed by a court reporter). I know why I'm doing the summary, but it doesn't change how tedious the process is. In that case, maybe I will start looking at how the lawyer is wording his questions, so that I can detect his technique, style, and methods. Altering my focus makes the task more bearable and also potentially allows me to reap personal benefits that would have otherwise been unavailable to me. It also helps me become much more knowledgeable of the facts of the case, and the strategy of that particular lawyer in trying the case. In short, I have turned a tedious process into a learning experience. I have given it a "why."

The above examples are for lawyers, obviously. That's what I do so that is what dominates my mind. But any occupation will have similar opportunities. Like I said, you have to get creative. Once upon a time I worked the early morning shift at UPS, doing package processing and address correction. It was boring and monotonous. It was also 4:00 a.m. in the morning. To counteract all that, I would try to make personal bests in speed and accuracy. Nerdy? Yeah. Overachiever? Maybe. But--it made the job more bearable, and, dare I say--more enjoyable. And that was the whole point.

So if you don't like your job, don't immediately assume that you need a new one. The problem may lie in your failure to find sufficient meaning in what you do. If you can't do this, then you may find a new job just as dissatisfying.