Why are so many people unhappy in their jobs There are two primary reasons. First, some people are convinced that earning a living is wasting time that they could spend enjoying themselves or uncovering their true talents.
If this is the case with you, recall your last long vacation. Was it two weeks of complete enjoyment More likely it was a week and a half of fun in the sun, with another half a week of "Boy, I can’t wait to get hack to work. " If you didn’t feel such vacation blues, then imagine taking a leave of absence. You could use it to work on a novel, enroll in classes or just sit around watching TV. At the end of three months, in all likelihood, your self-esteem would be at an all-time low. While all work and no play is not good, all play and no work is disastrous. We need to feel we are accomplishing something. We also need some form of order in our lives.
The second and perhaps more prevalent reason for people not to like their work is that they feel trapped. Once you’ve been at a company for five years and have a spouse, a mortgage (抵押) and a child, you often feel you have very little choice about jumping ship if things aren’t turning out as you’d planned. A steady paycheck can be the biggest maracle of all. People resent having to do something because they have no other choices.
If you find yourself resenting your job because you can’t afford to quit, it may be time to prepare what one career counselor humorously calls a "cyanide (氰化物) capsule". He recalls spy movies in which the secret agent has such a capsule hidden somewhere on his body. If he’s captured and tortured (折磨) unbearably, he has an option. And having an option gives him the strength to hold on a little longer in the hope that the situation may change.
Rather than cyanide, your option takes the form of an up-to-date resume. You might also take a weekly glance through the help-wanted section, and make some visits to industry functions where low-key networking can take place. You’re not giving up on your current job. Rather, you are providing yourself with an option. If things get unbearable at work, you could jump ship. Being in this position can do wonders for your attitude. It allows you to enjoy your work since, in reality, you are there only because you want to be.
At the core of adopting a positive attitude to your workplace is, above all, assuming responsibility for your own situation. Most people feel controlled by their environment, but they really aren’t. They have to learn to manage that environment so they can get from it what they need.
The second main reason for their unhappiness is that ______.