WHY DO YOU WORK?

You get up at six every morning, rush to work, where you spend the sunniest nine hours of the day. This is the routine for millions of people. Any of you stopped to ponder spending those nine hours differently?

Why do we work?

There are various reasons why people work, and why they do the particular work they do. Some people stick to what they're good at, avoiding challenges. Some have been doing the same job for years and can't get out of the comfort zone. And some simply enjoy what they do. But the deciding factor is usually the security bought about by a sizeable income.
The majority of the world's employed population work for money, not love. Ideally, we'd all fall into the minority. But this would only happen if love could feed the family, cover the bond on your house and materialise into petrol. However, there is a way to do what you want, despite your circumstances or experience. Here's how…

Five steps to job satisfaction

1.Take time out
You need to think about what it is you really want. As graduates, we know exactly what we want from life, what we want to be and accomplish. But five years into the job we got straight out of varsity, when work life is devoid of challenges, it's difficult to remember exactly what those goals were. Your idea of a dream job may have changed along with your priorities, so it is important to get a clear idea of what kind of work will enrich your life now. Make a list of all your personal and professional goals. Then ask yourself whether your current job will help you accomplish them. If not, you need to reconsider finding another job.

2. Take the practical route
The most practical way to figure out what will make you happy is to take a career assessment or aptitude test. These assessments take your strengths, weaknesses and goals into account and will give you an accurate indication of the direction you need to go into. Another practical route is to undergo career counselling.

3. Make plans
Once you've figured out what your career goals are, you need to set plans in action. If you plan to leave the company, you need to re-work your CV and start looking for a new job.

4. Take action
According to About.com, there are 10 top reasons to quit your job. These are:


1. You are heading for a burnout, due to work stress.
2. Your relationship with your manager has become unbearable.
3. Your relationship with your colleagues has deteriorated to the point where you can no longer work together as a team.
4. You have ruined your good reputation through behaving inappropriately in the workplace. You may as well quit before you get fired.
5. Your ethics are out of sync with the company. Even though you're not involved with the malpractice, you feel guilty just for coming to work.
6. Your company is heading for bankruptcy.
7. Your priorities have changed. If you have started a family since joining the company and your new needs are not being met, you may want to find a job that can provide you with what you require to support your family.
8. Your values and beliefs differ with the company's corporate culture.
9. You are in perfect health and yet you struggle to get out of bed in the morning. This is a sign that you no longer enjoy your work, and therefore don't look forward to doing it.
10. Work is no longer challenging and there's no chance of a promotion in the next three years.

This is when you know that it's time to go. If things at the office are not this bad, you may want to stick around and make the best of it.

5. Love the one you're with
So, you'll never be the next president. But you can make the best of the job you have. If your work's not challenging enough, spend your free time doing what you love. If you don't earn enough, turn your hobby into an entrepreneurship in you down-time. You spend 40 hours at work every week. Work shouldn't take up your whole life. It represents only a portion of what you do and who you are. Ensure that you spend the rest of the week doing the things you love to ensure you lead a fulfilling life.