People spend an incredible amount of time at work, yet give very little thought to their own strengths and values in their relation to work. People are happiest in their work if three things are present:
- Values: Does one’s work align with their values?
- Excellence/Expertise: Are they an expert in what they do? Do they get to exercise expertise?
- Joy: Does their work bring them joy.
When these factors are present day in and day out in someone’s work life, they are much more likely to be happy, fulfilled, and energized. Take me for example, I’m a therapist, a teacher, a trainer, and a coach. I listen and I talk for a living. I love it and it aligns extremely closely with my top strengths and my values. I go home at the end of the day happy, fulfilled, and thankful for the opportunities I have had to touch lives in a healthy and constructive way.
Very very often, when people are unhappy and unsatisfied in their work, they do not have the V.E.J. When I help these people make changes in their lives we take inventory of their strengths and values. Nine times out of ten, when they are unhappy, their top strengths are not being utilized and their work does not align with their values nor does it bring them joy.
In our video series Learn to Thrive with Adult ADHD, we ask people to take a step back and take inventory of your own V.E.J. in relation to their work. When people do so honestly, they tend to make better choices that allow them to blossom in their career.
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