1. Explore your career mindset

Emotional and circumstantial annoyances aside, ask yourself:

Am I fairly paid for the role? (Are you paid the going rate? Does the salary reflect your position in the business? We all want more money but is what you’re paid fair?)
Do I work fair hours?
Am I able to find enrichment outside of work?
Do I receive benefits beyond my role that are important to me (eg training, flexible working)?
Do I enjoy the company of my colleagues?
Is my work enjoyable or purposeful?

If you answer with a series of nos, it might be time to pack your bags. Unhealthy and uninspiring cultures will breed unhappy outcomes. But if you answer yes to three or more and still consider buying a Lottery ticket as a better long-term strategy, then it might be time to embrace a new way of thinking.

2. Choose your words carefully

Sadly, this isn’t as simple as fake-it-till-you-make-it, but there is lots of evidence to prove the benefits of replacing negativity with a more balanced outlook. The Framing Effect does just this. When a proposition is ‘framed’ negatively we are far less likely to engage than when it’s ‘framed’ positively. Say I told you the advice in my column had a 10% failure rate. I imagine you’d skip past it. Now say I told you it had a 90% success rate? That’s a totally different story, but it proves that how we frame information matters.

3. Pivot your thinking

In CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy; a method to change your way of thinking), there is a framework called the 3Cs.

Catch: notice your negativity triggers. Are there particular people, scenarios or meetings that make you feel worried or low? For example, if someone schedules a meeting on your day off do you think “they’re trying to exclude me”?
Check: objectively evaluate your reaction. What evidence have you got that your negative thought was correct? Could it have been oversight rather than malice?
Change: replace the negative thought with a more balanced one (“It’s frustrating when calendars clash. I’ll suggest a new time and explain I’m off”).

Changing your mindset takes time and practice, but given the lifetime hours we’ll spend at work, it really is an essential part of becoming a happier, healthier, more hopeful you.

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