Your Ideal Job

I have read that something like 70% of workers report that 
they do not like their jobs. And a look at the personal and 
career development sections of any bookstore will show many 
titles that state that you can “Love what you do,” or that 
you can find your authentic career between the covers of 
the book. 
Is it true, that the majority of us do not like our work? I 
think that most of us, given the chance, would choose to 
have more leisure time, perhaps more adventure, sometimes 
more pay, or whatever grass looks greener at the time. I 
also think that it is socially acceptable to complain about 
our work, and that this provides a necessary outlet to 
reduce the stress that many of us feel as we juggle the 
many demands of modern day existence. Work is generally 
demanding, and we naturally would like to have some relief 
from those demands. 
Back to the point- is there an ideal job, and what would it 
look like? Taking away the demands and the complaints, just 
how bad, or good, is your current job for you at this 
point? How might you analyze your job to determine the fit 
with what you want and need in your work? 
Ideal Work Day Exercise
One method that can provide a valuable perspective is an 
exercise that I call “My Ideal Work Day.” Basically, you 
read through the questions and let them sit in your mind 
for a day or so. Then, finding a comfortable, quiet place 
to sit and reflect, you answer these questions. Writing out 
at least short answers is a very helpful part of this 
process, as this will bring your entire awareness to the 
activity. 
The questions are, in part:
•	What time of day is it? 
•	Describe the place where you work. 
•	Who are the people you come in contact with? 
•	How are you dressed? 
•	What is the very first thing you do every day at 
work? 
•	What skills and talents will you use today? 
•	Will you sit at a desk? If so, what is on the desk? 
•	Is the job predictable or frequently changing? 
•	Is the pace fast or slow? 
•	Will you be working alone, as part of a team, or 
both? 
•	Describe your supervisor’s style. 
•	Will you stay in the same location most of your 
day, or travel? 
•	When you think of your work, what words come to 
mind? 
•	What passions, interests, or values are part of 
your work? 
•	What motivators are present in your work? 
(Achievement, recognition, etc.) 
•	What are some of the challenges that you face in 
your work? 
•	How are you compensated for your work? 
•	What are some of the benefits that you bring to the 
organization? 
•	How do you feel after your work day? 
•	How do you feel when its time for the next work 
day? 
•	Compare with your present job 
Once finished with the exercise, you can then compare 
your ‘ideal’ work day with your actual job conditions. This 
self test can be very revealing, and often quite 
surprising. My clients frequently report that once they 
have done this exercise, they can see their work in a new 
way, and begin to think about how they might make small or 
large changes to improve their relationship with their 
work. 
Motivators
One of the questions in the exercise asks about motivators. 
A lot of research has been done in this area, starting back 
in the 1930s. The results reported back then are very 
similar to the results observed by Frederick Herzberg in 
the 1950s and by others today, that the strongest motivator 
we have in the workplace is recognition, followed by 
interesting work and the chance for advancement. If these 
important motivators are not present in some way in your 
work, then you are likely to be unsatisfied with that job. 
Surprisingly, salary is down on the list of motivators. 
This may be due to the theory that “expenses rise to meet 
income.” This may also explain the phenomenon of lottery 
winners and their difficulties, and reinforce the old 
saying that: “Money can’t buy happiness.”
Jobs and personal vision
In one of my earlier articles for this publication, I 
talked about the concept of personal vision. To briefly 
recap, if you have a vision for yourself, a picture of what 
you want to be in the future, then the day-to-day realities 
of your job take on a different aspect. A job is then more 
of a means to an end, and you will focus less on 
the “grind” and more on how you are doing relative to your 
vision. 
Summary
Doing exercises such as “My Ideal Work Day” can be very 
helpful, to evaluate the characteristics of your current 
job against what you would like them to be.

Einstein or Edison or someone said something like 'Enjoying 
your job is like being on vacation everyday'.