2016-07-27
work-friends3

To get the most enjoyment out of your work life, should you?

a.    Make friends with your co-workers
b.    Be your own boss
c.    Ask for a raise
d.    Telecommute/work from home

A Gallup-Healthways survey found the biggest decider of job satisfaction is having a best friend at the office.  Not a surprise. Who doesn’t have fond memories of a job where there was one special someone who made the day more fun, more interesting or simply bearable?

Melanie’s job brought her to Chicago, where she knew no one.  She was 42 years old, single and lonely. She joined the company softball team, though her right hip protested. Midway through the season she got to know twenty-something Ted.  They became good friends— friends with privileges. They had a brief yet fulfilling fling that cured her blues and raised her inter-office popularity. Obviously— not a solution for everyone. But it worked for Melanie. She enjoys work friendship after hours and it carries her through the 9-5.

Get to know your colleagues outside of work. Share a meal, attend each others' celebrations, and console them through loss or disappointment.  Be a friend.

Clearer Vision

Looking at the world
the way it seems to be
is such an exhausting endeavor.

It takes a lot of energy to process the bad news,
to deal with the crotchety co-workers,
and to budget my time and talents.

Re-train my mind so that I see what might be, first.
Be with me as I look at what is and sift through it
to find that kernel of hope.
Allow me to face reality but focus on possibility
as I keep my feet on the ground and my eyes to the sky.

-Ruth Williams

"DO YOU HAVE A GOOD FRIEND AT WORK?"

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