My Job Kind Of Sucks, But I Still Do It. How and Why.

If you're like me, then you really don't enjoy your job, but then again, you really don't hate it either. It's just, well, okay. There are up days and down days...seemingly more down days. But my benefits are good...pay, working from home, and my coworkers. But customer support is probably one of the least glorious of all technical positions, right below testing in my opinion. Of course, poor customer support means lots of lost revenue and customers, so it really is important, just not well recognized. Sales and development always seem to get the recognition, but my post is not about the job itself, but how I deal with it. So how do I deal with the lowly drudgery of dealing with other people's problems everyday? When I graduated from college, I worked 8-6 at the office, and then went home and did more work. I even worked on the weekends. My boss loved me, but I swear my mind has lost a few gears since then. I can't seem to keep track of as many things, and this is only 5 years ago! So, in order to keep my sanity, I had to take a look at my life and what is important. First of all, I take deep breaths, and I don't let people aggravate me. It's not my problem, but it is my problem. I do what I can, when I can. I work smarter, not harder. Don't get me wrong, I still do a good, thorough job. But I won't hit myself in the head trying to perfect everything I do. I've come to accept a few slip ups here and there. In the past, I wouldn't have. I understand the fact that if I want to be the best in my field, I can't accept slip ups, but that's not my goal. My life takes priority over my job. My work is just as good as it was, but now I put in 25% less effort. As time goes on, I'm thinking I can get that down to 50% so that I can spend more time enjoying life. If you can't take a deep breath and see the big picture, then, my advice would be to take a day off from work just to do nothing except think about what is important. Put a few signs on your office wall reminding you of these. You only live once, and so you might as well make the most of it. It's not all about work and money. Funny, growing up, I heard the exact opposite, life is not all about play. How the tables turn.