Work Motivation and Stress: Reverberating Thoughts from an Office Bum

Think of this scenario: it’s Monday morning and you are running late for work. You wake up a little late than usual because you accidentally hit the “stop” button instead of “snooze” of your alarm (which, obviously, would silence the alarm and send you off to dreamland again). You can’t seem to find your favorite belt and you realized you have coins to pay for your jeepney fare. And so, you went to the nearest panaderia to ask “ate pwede pong makipalit ng 100?” before leaving the house (you know how sensitive jeepney drivers are in the morning). Then you go from one jeepney terminal to another, then to MRT and endure the morning rush havoc, just so you make it to your 8am shift.

But it does not end there! You wait eternally for the elevator of your building to open and reach the 34^th floor. And when finally, you reach your destination point, you found out that your work area is covered with tons and tons of paper works either for review, for signature, for revision, for filing or for distribution.

You can just imagine how many of us in the entire labor force endures this kind of scene everyday. And that just covers around 1 ½ to 2 hours of the whole day. That does not include yet the endless meetings, the angry emails from a client or your boss, the phone calls asking “why did you deduct so and so amount from my salary?”, the never-ending search for the misplaced contract (which was misplaced already long before you were employed in that company), among other things. Sometimes you would think and wonder, “Is it all worth it?” But at the end of the day, you think of your family and your dream vacation and you say to yourself, “Hay, ganun talaga. Kailangan e.”

Saturdays and Sundays seem so far, and yet when they arrive they seem to pass quickly and before you knew it, it’s Monday again.

Why is it that some people’s jobs are also their passion? Or hobby? Or talent? They have fun while working and are earning megabucks! And for the rest of us, well, it is more of a need than a passion.

Whatever the reasons are for our circumstances, I believe there is always a way around it. When things get really tough and all I want is to walk out of the office, I sit quietly and think of how many people in the world would do anything and go anywhere just to have a steady source of living. And then, I would close my eyes and say, “Thank you Lord. I am so blessed.” When I feel that work is no longer satisfying, I would think of the employee who says she is grateful that I assisted her well, and I will be filled with happiness no amount of money can ever buy.

So what are the antidotes for stress and de-motivation? A grateful heart and a sense of purpose.

It is easier said than done. There will always be days when your body will succumb to the comfort of your bed, and there will be times when your work area will feel like hell for you. There will be times when being thankful is the last thing on your mind, and you won’t feel that your job is getting you anywhere.

It is up to us. We always have a choice. Surely, times like these will always come, but we know that we have the power to be in control of how we perceive things. And then, life, as it is…will look beautiful. :)