As much as we’d all like to believe, there is no such thing as the perfect workplace. Finding the right employment and spending a considerable time on it is an important part of our lives. Some people enjoy doing it as they find more than just sustenance from their jobs, while those who don’t consider it to be a chore and just drag along for as long as they can. But finding a new job in the current business scenario isn’t always an easy task either. So if you are not satisfied with your job and the thought of quitting keeps creeping up on you, what should you do? 

According to Harvard Psychology Professor, Amy Cuddy, the answer may lie in positive value affirmations. But how is that supposed to be helpful? Let’s find out.

What leaves us unsatisfied with work

Dissatisfaction at work is usually the result of various reasons pulling you in different directions at the same time. You might be expected to work and deliver results in a specific way, but that may cause added stress on your health or family or other relationships. No visible results can add to your distress and drive you away from work. But quitting for these reasons may be an overreaction and it would be better if you could try sort out some of these issues by talking it over with your boss or peers.

What can we do about it

In her book, Presence, Prof. Cuddy says that self-affirmation can help attune yourself and enable you to express your true potential at work. It allows you to be ‘your boldest self’ and helps you develop your own presence. When you do that, you’re not building a false sense of confidence, instead, you start exploring your own potential and realize that you are capable of delivering the best results.

“With self-affirmation”, Cuddy believes, “we ground ourselves in the truth of our own stories, we feel less dependent on approval from other people and are comfortable even with their disapproval.”

The only question to ask yourself

So, when that happens, when you lose sight of the reasons that kept you going without allowing you the space to grow and attain satisfaction in your job, start with asking yourself - what was the one worthwhile thing that made the day today?

Prof. Cuddy, in her book advises that writing about the one thing that matters the most to us - be it family, creativity, innovation, anything - can provide the positive affirmation we are looking for from our lives and help you attain satisfaction in your current job. This simple question can set off a chain reaction in your thoughts and help you see the positives in your professional and personal lives.

Everyone reaches a point sooner or later where they begin to question the fruitfulness of their professional pursuits. But since we are all distinctly dissimilar from each other, the answer to that question is bound to be just as varied. However, the good thing is once you start on the path of positive self-affirmation, you’ll see your own underlying inspiration for choosing the career path that you did. There may be times when the answer to that question leads you to a career change, and that’s alright, but the important thing to remember is that positive affirmations do make a difference in your thought process and eventually, your output at work.