Thankful for your career?

Hearing Maya Angelou talk about an Attitude of Gratitude on NPR a few years ago, just a few days before Thanksgiving in the U.S., inspired me to write about this important concept (value, really) and how it can relate to so many aspects of our lives, including our careers. 

Chances are you've heard someone refer to having an Attitude of Gratitude before.  So, what is it and what does it have to do with you?  Everyone probably defines it a bit differently.  I think of it as recognizing and being grateful for all the good things in your life, as well as the ability to appreciate how where you've been and what you've experienced add value to and prepare you for the next steps in your journey.  You may naturally be able to adopt this attitude, or can welcome it by actively practicing it.  Look back on today.  What are you grateful for? Maybe it is the beautiful sunrise that greeted you and helped you start the day with a smile, or the knowledge that your ability to truly listen brought comfort to a friend.

Now think of your current or most recent job, and the one before that (keep going).  How has each enriched your working life or prepared you for your next opportunity?  Find at least one thing in each job that you are thankful about.  Think of the skills you've learned or honed, professional relationships you've developed, or specific accomplishments you have achieved while in these jobs.  If you are struggling with this exercise and can't think of anything, it’s okay.  Go ahead and try it with the one that is not going to make the “dream job” list (for whatever reason — your boss, responsibilities, or work environment).  Come up with one job-related thing you can feel grateful for.  Perhaps you found a trusted mentor while working in this job, developed a new skill that you can now build upon, gained enough experience to be competitive for the jobs you want, or learned what organizational culture does not fit you well (and therefore, what might).  Take it one step further and really look at the part each of these may play in helping you reach your dreams.  Without them would you be as well prepared as you are? 

So even if we are not delighted with our current work situation, it is possible to learn to seek and acknowledge the opportunities that have resulted from it.  Then we can set about moving forward and working hard to refine and achieve our goals, with a grateful heart and mind for all the good we've experienced along the way.  Let's try it!  Let me know how it goes. 

Happy Thanksgiving and may you find a thousand reasons to feel deep gratitude.

Shahrzad is a holistic career counselor, trainer, speaker, and author of Nourish Your Career. If you'd like to work with her to nourish your career and life, contact her at shahrzad[at]careerconsultmd.com or visit www.careerconsultmd.com

 

Note: This post was originally published on my Career Consulting Services blog. Since I now primarily use the Nourish Your Career site and community to post/share, I'm reposting it here.

 

Comments

[Dorlee M]

Thank you for this thoughtful post, Shahrzad.

I love your perspective of bringing gratitude into one’s review of one’s career/work history. It is so true that the skills, knowledge, expertise, as well as friendships and mentors that we have developed from [or at] one position inevitably help prepare us for subsequent opportunities.

Furthermore, reviewing with gratitude one’s career past can be a way of improving your present/future position because it may assist you in currently performing better at work and inspire additional items to add to your resume.

As Melody Beattie states: “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

[Shahrzad Arasteh]

Thank you so much, Dorlee, for stopping by, and for your kind and thoughtful comment!

I think you're quite right. The ability to find something to feel thankful for can certainly help us in our current situation, and there is every chance that at least one thing from our experience will prove useful in a future opportunity.

I love the quote you shared! How beautiful! Thank you so much for introducing me to it.

Thanks again for your visit, and for kindly sharing your wisdom!