One of the hardest things to do is stay motivated at work. Depending on your situation, you may be motivated by fear of your boss, love of technology, potential to advance your career, ability to enhance your knowledge of a particular subject matter, or cash. The main thing is to understand your motivations, and make the most of it.

Show me the money!

Well, actually, maybe there is no “or” involved when it comes to cash. Even a small 2-3% yearly raise helps to boost your motivation, even if just a little. It tells you “I’m doing something right, because I’m theoretically better off this year than last year”. If you get more than that, then you’re ahead of the game right? Keep on working hard, you’re on the right track.

So what happens when the economy drives into a tar pit, and your company initiates a salary freeze? You’re doing the same work, but year after year goes by and you haven’t seen an additional dime. Maybe you’re even seeing less, because they stopped your 401k matching. If the only thing that motivates you at work is money, then you’re bound to feel the pain of the economy even more.  So without cash, what motivates you?

Don’t just think of yourself

I’m not getting paid enough, I hate this place, I should just quit. Sound familiar? While that may all be true, perhaps you’d be better off thinking of others as well. About 9% of the U.S. never complains about not making enough money. You know why? Because they’re unemployed, and not making any money at all! If you had no job, you’d probably kill a baby polar bear just to get your current job which you hate so much.

If that’s not enough, think about your family. Maybe there’s a wife (or husband) and kid at home. Let them motivate you to perform to the best of your abilities. Maybe your situation isn’t ideal, but just giving up never let anyone achieve their goals. Stick with it, and maybe things at the job will improve. Things really aren’t that bad as long as you’re paying the bills and everyone at home is happy, right? Your motivation is to keep them healthy and happy.

Rule your domain

So the money isn’t flowing, and the career advancement isn’t there. If you’ve been stuck in that rut for years on end, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate your current employer. However, if it’s only been a few years, then hopefully you’ve been making the best of it. Take the time to really master your craft, whatever that may be. The strengthening of your skill set will only help you in the future. If not at your current place of employment, then certainly down the road, when it really is time to find a new gig.

Be different, be happy

In the end, all that really matters, or really should matter anyway, is whether you’re happy or not. Most of us can’t just separate it out like that, and ignore money, and the gizmos that our friends have. Let that be your overall goal. Be motivated because you actually enjoy what it is that you’ve decided to do. I’m in the same boat as you, and have a small amount of hatred (a.k.a. jealousy) for people who actually enjoy their line of work. I sort of like what I do, sometimes, but I definitely don’t sit here happy that I get to stare at a computer screen all day ruining my vision, and getting carpal tunnel syndrome. My motivation is to keep at the grind, because right now it’s manageable, and eventually I’ll find something that just fits me. Money would be nice, but the true goal is happiness.  I try to remind myself every day.

Let’s face it, living without money is hard. Ideally, we could all just go through life being nice, and things would work out. However, after living on this planet for about two seconds, I realized that this will never happen. So I studied a subject I liked, then went out and landed a job that seemed fitting. What could go wrong, right? Well, I seem to have gotten a little case of “Keeping up with the Joneses”…that’s what went wrong.

If you’re unfamiliar with that term, it basically means that you compare yourself to your neighbors (and friends), and what they have. If they have more, you feel inferior, and want what they have. I’m not even materialistic. I don’t even crave high end goods. Yet somehow, my mind has still fallen into the trap of directly comparing myself with others, and feeling bad about it. Yeah, I have a job that I (occasionally) enjoy, and it pays my bills. The only problem is that (a) stuff (houses, food, air) in the NY/NJ area is really expensive, and (b) most of my friends make at least twice, and some even four times as much as I do. So I’ve made a decision, I’m not going to let my income determine the outcome of my life.

If all I did was stick to the stats, I would never win. Someone always has more. The only way to be truly happy in life is to appreciate what you have, make the best of it, and not worry about the other guy. I’m not saying that it’s an easy thing to do. Some of us just got wired to look left and right with jealousy. The key is to really think about it, and become aware of the situation. Also, take a look around, and you’ll find people with a lot less than you who are leading fulfilling lives. If they can do it, why can’t we?

Some things would need to change obviously. Financial responsibility most definitely has to be a part of this equation. Chances are, if you’re working in some sort of desk job like me, the money isn’t flying at you, so you need to be smart about how it gets used. Do you really need an iPhone? The cheapest option is still $70 a month. I use my ‘normal’ cell phone and pay $30 instead. So over the course of the year, I save $480! Do you really need to hit up Starbucks every day? Even if your drink is only $2.50 a day, over the course of the month that $50, over the course of the year that $600! Combine that with the cellphone, and I just saved $1080 over the course of a year. If this is part of my normal lifestyle, over 5 years, that’s $5,400. So from day 1, if I was putting that money aside for some average investments getting an 8% return per year, I would have $6,842.80 at the end of year 5. All from just staying away from the fancy phone, and not buying individual cups of coffee (I make my own).

So with this two pronged approach, I plan to get through life with a good level of happiness. I will recognize that material things aren’t that important, and it doesn’t matter what my friends have. We’re different people, and should lead different lives. If they have excess money to spend, that doesn’t mean I do, so why should I compare at all? We don’t even have the same kind of job. Then to make the most of what I do have, I stop the financial bleeding where I can, such as the tiny changes mentioned above. If you sit down and analyze your monthly spending, I’m sure you’ll find some as well. Using a tool such as Mint.com can also help you track your spending, and set goals. Remember, small things add up to big savings!

Now get back to work, and quit looking at your neighbors stuff! None of it matters in the big scheme of life.

Whether you realize it or not, doing an excellent job, and moving up the food chain within your company often have no connection with each other. You would think that exceeding expectations, and always getting the job done would be enough to gain the favor of the higher ups. Unfortunately, most of the time, the final ingredient needed for success is a little bit of office politics.

If you’ve never heard the term before, go ask the guy in your office who is always trying to be near the big wigs and talk to them…about anything. He know’s exactly what office politics are all about. Basically, work itself it not enough to get noticed. Sometimes, you basically just need people to like you, which often involves having somewhat fabricated conversations, just so they know who you are.

This sounds somewhat ridiculous, as far as helping out with your success is concerned. Just think about it for a minute though. If there is an open position that you’re hopeing to be considered for…and there’s an equally qualified guy in your office going for the same spot, chances are they’ll hire the guy they are more friendly with. Sad but true. There’s no playoffs when it comes to this sort of thing, just a bit of very casual favoritism.

So how to go about doing this? It’s really not that hard. It’s more of making a point to not just ignore social situations. You’d be surprised how far dropping a “Good morning” at the coffee machine can take you. Or a quick little “Ahhh Friday” while waiting for the elevator. As insanely simple as that sounds, that can really be all it takes for someone to remember you as a nice guy.

Taking it one step farther, don’t be so quick to just ignore any social events. Someone you know in the office is having drinks for their birthday, or a going away party? Just head on over and grab a few. You might just talk to a few friends, or you might incidently rub some elbows with your boss etc. Just having your face somewhat recognizeable by the upper brass is a good thing. It certainly can’t hurt you…as long as you’re not the guy that shows up and has WAY too many drinks, and makes a fool of himself.

So the next time you’re crossing paths with a big wig, or some event presents itself, just get in there and toss a few simple words out! A few simple comments may be all it takes for you to stand out above a sea of similar employees stuffed in a cube.