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.

Thanksgiving is upon us, and I’ve seen a few TV shows where they were making it a point to actually give thanks for some of the things in their lives. Being totally uncreative, I’ve decided to steal that idea. The more I thought about it, even though I can talk trash about working in a cube for hours, there’s quite a bit that I can be thankful for as well.

While working in an office cubicle, and being lost among a sea of horrid half-walls and industrial carpet is not exactly living the high life, at least it is a living. By ‘a living’, of course I mean it pays my bills…most of them anyway. With the state of the U.S. economy still in recovery mode, this year I am thankful that I still have a decent job. Sure, I may not love everything I’m doing, or get some sort of deep down satisfaction at the end of each day, but I’m a lot better off than those who didn’t make it through the 4 rounds of job cuts my company went through earlier this year.

I squeaked through with a 10% pay cut for half of the year, but at the end of it all, I still had a full time job. Every once in a while, I actually recognize how bad the finances were at my company in order for them to be forced to lay off so many people. In those times of recognition, like right now, I say thank you for that pay cut, and thank you for letting me lead my simple lifestyle without making too many changes.

As we all know, the office can be filled with a bunch of annoying characters. Maybe they’re trying to make awkward conversation with you in the kitchen, or jumping into your cube unexpectedly, ignoring some basic cube etiquette. Maybe they smell, or don’t even recognize the things you do. There’s tons of things to complain about with coworkers, but hey, they spice up the potential monotony of the day as well. If everyone in my office had a completely neutral personality, with no quirks or issues to deal with, I’d have a lot less to talk about.

That’s not even a reference to Office Cube Life, I mean in general. Whether you’re in the elevator, out at lunch, or having a beer…coworkers give you a lot of material to talk about with your friends and other coworkers. So this year, I say thank you to the guy that forgets to flush in the bathroom. I say thanks to the guy that doesn’t even know I exist, and ignores me because I’m not in a suit. You guys may not be my buddies, or the type of people I’d want to be stuck in an elevator with, but you make my day a little more interesting.

At the end of the day, I’m very happy to have my little web job. Who am I to complain, when there are whole families struggling to stay afloat, and I’m still paying $80 a month for my gym membership. Just this once, everything is okay with life, and I love working in my little office cubicle.

I love Friday. There I said it. Sometimes even the most obvious fact needs to be said out loud. After all….I’m talking about Friday here! I know every one of you out there loves Friday just as much as I do. I usually don’t like sharing things to this extent, but I will make an exception for the benefit of office workers everywhere and allow you all to love the one I hold closest to my heart.

Everyone has had one of those weeks where everything was going wrong, taking longer than expected, getting on your nerves and just destroying all of the joy in life. It seems hopeless, like there is no way for your misery to end. We’ve all been there, and we’ve all made it through. Why? Because everyone knows from early on in life that no matter how miserable your week is, you’ll eventually hit Friday. It serves as a beacon in the night, guiding you through the darkness. Once that whistle blows, you’re off the clock and freedom is yours!

Not only does Friday give you some motivation to make it through the work week, it’s also the most understanding of days. Maybe you went out on Thursday night, and have a killer hangover. That’s okay, because Friday understands. Maybe you’re thinking about an upcoming concert on Saturday and have already mentally checked out for the week. That’s fine, Friday never expects too much out of you anyway. Friday even has a lot of clout in the business world, influencing managers and bosses everywhere to be a little more relaxed than usual. Just think how often you’ve heard something to the effect of “Don’t worry, it’s Friday. We can worry about it next week”.

Any day that has it’s own slogan has got to be a good one. You never hear anyone say TGIM (Thank God It’s Monday), it’s TGIF! People love this day so much, they even started a restaurant chain named after that slogan: TGI Friday’s. Just think about that for a second. Some people were going to start a restaurant, and it came time to pick the name. They sat around, and thought “Let just make it easy, and name it something that is impossible not to love…something about Friday…we can’t lose!”

So the next time you find yourself crammed in a cube working on boring things that don’t interest you just so you can pay your rent, just take a second and think of Friday. You know it’ll always be there, waiting and ready to give you some much needed relaxation.

In closing, I find that I am moved to write Friday a poem. I’ll give it a fitting, clever name…how about “Friday, A Poem”

The week is young, and the pain it starts,
As if Monday’s only purpose is to blacken our hearts;
Forever it goes, the work never ending,
A happy employee, but always pretending;
Will it end before I meet my grave,
A whisper of encouragement, ‘Just Be Brave’;
From where did it come, a voice far away,
But then I realize, it came from Friday;
A simple reminder that I’m strong enough to survive,
And make it until the weekend, when my soul may thrive;
Thank you Friday, for guiding me through,
No other way to say it, I truly love you.

The dreaded work commute, is there anything worse? Whether or not you actually like your job, commuting is rarely spoken of with kind words. Some people have to deal with an hour of car traffic, while others have to cram onto a subway train with the masses. Every once in a while, a new report comes along with data indicating that people are working from, a.k.a. “telecommuting” at higher and higher rates every year. Well, until we reach a time when that is the norm, we all have to deal with commuting. So in the meantime, did you ever stop to consider the upside to it all?

You know it’s coming, so just accept it and relax

You wake up, get ready, and head into work. However you do it, it’s your routine. There really isn’t that much that differs from day to day for most of us. You’ve been doing this for a while, you know how it works, and accepting it all is the key to being able to relax.

If you drive to work, I’m sure you take the same route or two every day. You know about the traffic mess, you know about the potholes. This isn’t a surprise, so just take it all in stride. There’s no need to stress out, and add to the road rage, honking your horn, driving aggressively etc. Since you already know what’s coming, just turn on some music, and use it as some quality time. When else during your week will you have a solid hour to just sit there and listen to music, or a good podcast? Make use of this time for some enjoyment, instead of just wasting it by raising your blood pressure and getting angry at the world.

Go with the flow, don’t fight it

If you’re a mass transit commuter, you have to deal with an entirely different set of commuting challenges. Yes, schedule changes, bad weather, and breakdowns are definitely a headache, and there’s not much you can do about them. However, if you step out the door each day ready to just go along for the ride, and don’t worry about everything being ideal, it helps.

Into music, then bring along your iPod and just zone out. Actually enjoy it, instead of having it as a soundtrack to your stress. Put on something relaxing to help set the tone. Bring along a book or a magazine, and think of delays as a bonus to get to the next chapter. I promise you, if you’re in the middle of reading something you really enjoy, you’ll actually be happy if you miss your train, and have some extra time to kill.

What if you don’t have anything to read, or listen to? Not a problem, time to get creative. I’m a firm believer that “people watching” should be a sport. I’m not talking about stalking the cute girl on her way to work, I’m talking about noticing people, and all of their differences and peculiarities. Imagine who they are, where they’re coming from, what makes them so interesting/weird/angry/happy. You can make a little story up. It definitely beats staring at a poster, or down an empty subway tunnel.

Remember, whatever you do to pass the commute, this is totally free time where you don’t have to think, or be responsible for anything, other than keeping your car in a straight line, or walking along with the crowd into an open door. Let your autopilot take care of the routine, and use that free time for a little fun!

Now get to work in a good mood, or at least a neutral one.