Respect it
With people you love, you don’t simply take them for granted.
If you do, you’re not going to build that kind of loving and supportive relationship that you truly want.
In fact, they will slowly drop hints because we are not respecting them for who they are.
Day in, day out doing the same thing may cause you to neglect your job and take it for granted.
Sometimes, your job could also be telling you something. Do pay attention and look for clues.
Don’t manipulate it
With people you sincerely love, you don’t really think about power. You wouldn’t do anything to manipulate them into doing something for you.
Eliminate ideas of power-play about your job from your thoughts.
Power plays and office politics can consume your time and energy. Instead, focus on what’s productive.
Don’t blame your job for your bad mood
Blaming someone you love for your own bad moods is destructive and somewhat unhelpful for any relationship.
Our jobs should never be the reason for us to be in a bad mood, taking it out on other people around us.
Bring that bad mood back from workplaces into homes can be detrimental in the long run especially when it is done regularly.
We can make a choice to control the situation and make a conscious decision to separate home and life.
Do keep workplace stresses and issues there. Don’t bring it home.
No quid pro quo
Quid pro quo means a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services.
Can you imagine setting up this kind of arrangement with a loved one where “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”?
Such unhealthy dynamics can make you feel like you got the short end of the deal regardless of the arrangement.
Love and respect are unconditional. There’s no expectation for something in return, especially in equal portions.
The job satisfaction and the salary or wage you receive in your pay-packet are just by-products of a loving relationship.
When there is no expectation for anything in return, it naturally enables us to build a loving relationship with our jobs.
When we do give or create great value for others first, your efforts will be seen by others. They will acknowledge your valuable contribution and reward you accordingly, sometimes even more than you can imagine.
Seek to understand
When something happens in your family or within friendships that you weren’t expecting, you will want to find out all the details first before deciding on your next move.
Likewise, when something does happen with your job, you need to take time to understand the dynamics or root causes before jumping into any wrong conclusions or making the wrong decisions.
Seek first to understand the issues and avoid making rash decisions about our jobs that we will regret later.
Always seek clarity
If you’re not clear about what is happening in a relationship with someone, chances are that they don’t know either.
You always have a choice – to let the situation remain ambiguous or to choose clarity and proactively resolve conflicts and misunderstandings.
Likewise, it’s better to be clear as to why you are in your current job so that you can get closer to your goals.
Be clear as to your “whys” for continually working in employment. Ask the five “Whys” to uncover the actual reason.
Don’t lose yourself
In any relationship, you want to have some form of self-control over yourself and your dealings with other people.
You need to know exactly how you feel about all of the different aspects of your job.
You need to have self-control over your dealings with your managers and colleagues.
Do not harass them or put yourself in compromising positions and situations where other people can make a formal workplace complaint against you because of your actions.
Have faith that things will get better
Relationships are seasonal. There will always be ups and downs.
Hopefully more ups than downs.
Sometimes seasons are exciting. Other times they quietly exist in the background.
The same is true of your relationship with your job. It can’t always be rainbows and parades all the time. There will certainly be ups and downs.
When things are down, you must make the conscious decision to continuously love and cherish your job regardless of how painful or stressful it is at that time.
Always be positive.
Don’t let it get in your way of healthy and positive living.
Have faith that the bad times will eventually pass and good times will come.
The bottom line is this.
Stop denying that your job is unimportant.
By denying that your job is important, you remain with little of it, unfulfilled, unhappy and fearful.
When you get a tooth infection, you need a dentist.
When you are hungry, you need food.
To survive, you need a job!
With a job, you are able to earn money to pay the bills.
If you don’t pay sufficient attention to your job and your relationship with it, you will have no idea where it may end up.
You will not be able to future-proof yourself with a steady stream of income due to uncertainties and instability of an unhealthy relationship with your job.
If you want your relationship with your job to improve so that you have a steady stream of future income, you must pay attention to it and cultivate a healthy and positive relationship.
Stop ignoring it, start appreciating it.
If you haven’t made a conscious decision to establish a positive relationship with your job, then it’s time to do so.