How to Increase Job Satisfaction and Create a Successful Career

Are you feeling unmotivated or dissatisfied with your current job? Do you remember a time you felt more excited to go to work every day? Would you like to show up to work each day excited for a new challenge, to feel like you are making a significant contribution and being your best?

If you answered "yes" to any or all of these questions, you're not alone. Earlier this year the Conference Board reported that only 45% of people surveyed were satisfied with their jobs.

So what can you do to take charge of your job satisfaction?  Change jobs? Hold on! Before you jump, figure out whether there is something about you that you can change to help turn around the situation. Just like any other relationship that's not working, before you leave and start another one you need to understand your contribution to the difficulty. Otherwise, you'll find the same problem again and again. No matter how many times you change jobs you are always there.

Start by remembering when you first started your job. What was it that you liked about it? What's changed? Has your role changed?  Perhaps you enjoyed doing the technical work and now you're involved in management. Do you feel pressure to advance further and further along a career path you find unsatisfying? If you dislike the responsibilities of being a manager, you're likely to find many of the same challenges in a new job that requires the same skills.

Are the skills that you are using motivating skills or burnout skills? Motivating skills are what excite and interest you. You're good at them and you enjoy them.  Burnout skills are skills you may be good at but lead you to dreading the tasks you are doing. The more you use burnout skills, the more dissatisfied with your job you will be.

How are your relationships with your peers, staff and managers? Are they satisfying? Strained? Are you holding a grudge? How can you forgive and move on? Are you afraid of being fired or laid off? How can you let go of the fear?

Once you have some answers now you can ask yourself what you can do about them. You have complete choice as to how to respond. If you're feeling demotivated you're likely choosing to feel that way. When you feel empowered, even with a difficult situation you can find answers that will work better for you.

Many times we make assumptions or hold limiting beliefs that prevent us from being happy, satisfied with our job. Is there a way you can modify your tasks or responsibilities to use fewer burnout skills and more motivated skills? Can you patch up a strain with a coworker? Many times all it takes is to make a request. If the response is no, you know the answer and can choose how to respond. If the answer is yes, then seize the opportunity and show what can be done.

Successful professionals work on increasing their self awareness and then acting to bring their life, including career, into alignment with who they are. The greatest job satisfaction comes form work that is aligns with your personal values, purpose, and vision. Whether you work on your own or with a coach, a rewarding and satisfying career can be yours.