It’s amazing how much mental and emotional energy we put forth at work. Not only on the tasks but on the people as well. And what’s really sad is that we don’t respect or even like the majority of them. We spend too much time at work to be unhappy, dissatisfied, disgruntled, and annoyed. Here are some ideas to re-adjust your thinking about work.

The Top Ten Ways to Be Unhappy at Work, Especially After 40!

Most people are good at being unhappy at work. There are so many people who are already unhappy at their work that I probably don’t need to teach them since they are already so good at it. But for those who want to change bad habits, a reminder sometimes is a good idea.

1. Work for JUST the money

When you work for JUST the money after 40 you will start to resent your work. Work will start to seem like an obligation. Everyone around you will feel like competition. The money will not be appreciated and it will be spent quicker. When you work JUST for the money, it is easy to lose track of one’s sense of purpose and values about their life and what is most important. This is a great way to be unhappy at work especially for those over 40 who have been unhappy for many years at work due to society pressures and expectations.

2. Make money doing something you don’t care about

Make the money you need in ways which make no sense to you. Work in areas which the work is not coherent to you. That is, work in areas which do not make sense to you at the end of the day. Go to sleep after doing work all day which provides no joy or meaning. This will be great for restless sleep, worry and of course unhappiness about one’s work!

3. Ensure that your work really DOES NOT interest you

After 40, this is very important. Work which provides no interest will set you up for retirement and then a quicker death. Work which does not interest you will impact your sense of self, your happiness and affect how you relate to those around you. This will be great for becoming anti-social and unhappy. After 40, ONLY work at things which clearly do not align your interests and abilities.

4. Only work at things which you are good at

This is a great strategy for being unhappy at work. Do work which you are really good at but no longer interested in. This will keep you in dead end jobs for years JUST for the money. Human Resource policies around performance management will always make you the winner ensuring many more years of making money and unhappy work.

5. Have no sense of urgency about your life and work

This is another great way to stay unhappy at work. Just wait for good luck or better hope something will happen to make your life and work better without action a sure recipe for unhappiness!

6. Work in JOBS and careers after 40

This is one of the best ways to ensure unhappiness in mid ‘life. Just work in defined jobs with nice titles and even better career tracks with hopes to someday retire and finally be happy and do what you want. Just waiting for someday will almost guarantee your unhappiness at work.

7. Look forward to retirement

Plan your retirement and all the things you will finally be able to when you stop working. This is one of my best recommended strategies for unhappiness at work. For sure life or the economy will get in the way and you just might have to work forever at just jobs.

8. Actually, retire!

Just stop working and join activities with other retired people. Enjoy the good life. This is a great strategy for unhappiness. Soon a life without new goals or meaningful work and contribution will set in and the water will boil before you notice it. This will speed your progress towards unhappiness.

9. Work around people who enjoy what you don’t

This is a great way to become unhappy at work. Work in areas which everyone around you seems to enjoy except you. Soon you will feel like you are broken and that something is wrong with you. A sure path to unhappiness!

10. Have a job and DO NOT have your life’s work

This is my favorite. JUST have a job that one day you can retire from. For sure don’t think deeply about the world and where you want to make a greater difference especially after 40. Forget contribution, joy, meaning, and all those silly concepts of vocation. Just assume a job is work and the rest of your life happens after you get home.

Does this sound familiar? Does your work fit into any of these ten steps? The good news is by following of course the opposite direction of these steps WILL ensure you a lifetime of happiness and joy and a sense that your work matters. Now this can ENABLE happiness! I’ll be cheering you on as you go!

Craig Nathanson is the author of “Don’t JUST Retire and Die: A New Approach to Your Life and Work After 40? and he is a coaching expert who works with people over forty. Visit Craig’s online community at http://www.thevocationalcoach.com where you can take a class, get more ideas through Craig Nathanson’s books and CDs, get some private coaching over the phone or in Craig’s office, or read other stories of mid-life change and renewal. Craig lives and works in Petaluma, California. His office is located at P.O Box 2823, Petaluma Ca, 94953. You can reach him at 707-775-4020 or at craig@thevocationalcoach.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/craignathanson. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Nathanson

By George Metzger  

It works for entrepreneurs, professionals, celebrities and job-seekers. Almost everyone is beginning to understand that personal or self-branding is what will put them ahead of the crowd. 

If you are different from everyone else and you want to prove it to the world just create the personal branding of YOU. 

So what is self-branding simplified? It is a clear understanding of what your personal attributes will bring to a specific situation or job. It is what makes you unique and it is a clear and common identifier of what you stand for. 

Self-branding will differentiate between someone who is competent and even professional from one who generates a lot of business and income. 

So what if you feel secure and know that you are doing a good job? Does this mean your career life will always go smoothly? No, because there is always someone out there that wants your place so you have to fight for it. 

Many people have the perception that self-branding is phony. They don’t see that they are really that good at selling themselves. The facts are that those who do not self-brand will be branded by others. Maybe they will be perceived as lax or lazy about the importance of their career by not putting any effort into self-branding. If you allow this to happen then you are giving away your power to decide what your own self-branding will be. 

Branding is a process that is created to sell YOU. Famous people have been using this process for a long time to sell themselves. You know from this example that it works. And doesn’t proof that it works prove it to be an effective method? 

Now, you’ve decided to go about the process of self-branding you have to have a strategy to follow. 

Build your self-branding identity to highlight your best skills and personal abilities.

Make a marketing plan that markets the new brand of YOU.

Set personal brand goals for yourself and a time line in which to achieve these goals.

You are now on the path to all new brand YOU.

By Dr. Raymond Comeau
The image that we project goes a long way to influence people and if we want to have any success in life, influencing people is a prerequisite. To make a sale, we have to influence people, to get a promotion, we must influence people, to implement any agenda that we may have, we must influence people and the image that we project is the medium that will determine, to a large degree, our effectiveness in influencing and motivating others to our way of thinking.

First it must be understood that the personal image is not primarily addressed to the left brain logic but to the right brain emotions. We feel a person’s image much more than we coldly analyze it. A person is “seen” with the heart and not with the brain.

It must also be remembered that our interpretation of a personal images is determined by what is called an “a priori.” An a priori is a deduction made from past observations and conclusion. In other words, we evaluate what a person’s image means to us by automatically comparing it to our previous experience of similar images.

As and example, most people would see a chubby person as being jovial and easy going. Such a conclusion is not based on facts but on previous experience and popular notions. An image is exactly what it says, it’s an image and not a reality so it can be rebuilt, modified and enhanced to our advantage.

When working on the personal image, the first consideration must be the target of the intended image. What will appeal to teenagers will be vastly different than if the business or professional world is targeted. The rock star image will go quite well with teenagers while Donald Trump will be more fitting in the business or professional world.

The image presented will be perceived mostly by the senses and it must appeal to what’s needed and wanted by your targeted community. That is, if you are a businessman, you must look like a prosperous businessman who does not have a care in the world, talk the part and walk it. However, if you are in the community service you cannot afford to go around in a Rolls Royce wearing $3,000 suits. The image must fit the community.

The best role models for the personal image are the people who are successful in your field. These people should be studied, copied and emulated as much as possible.

The personal image is the tribune upon which a person stands to deliver his message. It is the lens through which a person is judged, cataloged and perceived. It is the “you” that the world see, accept, reject or ignore. It is your personal brand for all to see. A lot of your successes and failures depend on it. So, treat it well, improve it as much as possible but don’t get bent out of shape if it happens to be rejected by some.

You can’t please everyone every time. So, don’t overlook the positive many for the negative few. Create the best possible personal image and wear it proudly. It’s your personal trademark for all to see so make it a good one.

Dr. Raymond Comeau aka Shamou is the Author of ShamouBlog http://shamoublog.com/ and Administrator of Personal Development for Personal Success Forums.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Raymond_Comeau