You spend the better part of your day at work. You want to enjoy it. You want to love it.
But what if your current job is "just a job"? And what if, for one reason or another, you need to stay in that job for a while? Are you doomed to being miserable in the meantime?
The good news is -- nope! As Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young did not sing, if you can't have the job you love, love the job you have. Here's how:
Get to know thyself. Understanding what makes us happy is key to finding the work that makes us happy. Don't laugh -- a lot of people have never considered the causes and components of their own enjoyment.
For example, do you like to work in teams? Is human interaction important to you? Then if your job involves copious amounts of solitary time, you may not be happy at all. Your answer here is to identify the tasks that would be better done by groups, and why, and make a suggestion. Innovation, creativity -- bosses love it.