Enjoying work isn’t always easy, but working on these 4 qualities can help

Everyone is familiar with the saying that if you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. It’s a nice sentiment, and makes for an even more impressive quote, but the notion of enjoying all aspects of one’s job is unrealistic to say the least. While dream jobs absolutely exist, even the cushiest or most exciting positions still entail getting down to business at some point by the time the clock strikes five or six. Enjoying work isn’t always easy, but building up more of a certain type of personal capital can help foster happier, more productive days at the office. Read on to learn more.

Psychological Capital: A different kind of currency

Traditional forms of capital, or available financial resources, are absolutely essential to the sustained success of any business model. This article, however, will detail an entirely different store of (personal) value: Psychological Capital.

While financial capital is made up of dollars and cents, psychological capital refers to the internal resources at one’s disposal when faced with adversity and the inevitable problems, challenges, and unexpected emergencies inherent to every life. Just like a retail store draws on emergency funds (or capital) in the midst of a slow sales patch, so too does the individual rely on their psychological capital during tough times.

Placed within the context of boardrooms, business, and the day-to-day lives of countless employees and professionals, psychological capital can be a powerful asset – both in terms of overall productivity or tangible success and individual well-being. On a more detailed level, psychological capital is typically broken down into 4 distinct yet equally important cognitive qualities:

• Resilience: Setbacks, accidents, and unexpected problems are unavoidable in life, and that’s especially true for most businesses. Resilience refers to one’s capacity to take such snafus in stride, all while remaining calm and flexible when plans fall off track. No matter what industry one works in, resilience is key to navigating stressful workplace scenarios. 

• Hope: It isn’t always easy, but hope is all about seeing that light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. When it comes to psychological capital, hope helps with reaching goals immensely as it keeps the individual focused and determined. After all, if you don’t believe you’ll ever finish, what’s the point in beginning at all? 

• (Self) Efficacy: There’s certainly a fine line between cockiness and confidence, but a certain amount of belief in oneself is imperative to a life well lived and a rewarding career. Self-efficacy means being self-assured of one’s own abilities and capacity to reach whatever goals the workplace may throw at them.

• Optimism: The words ‘optimism’ and ‘hope’ may largely be synonymous in terms of everyday life, but when talking about psychological capital optimism is characterized by attributing positive developments and successes to oneself or teammates while perceiving problems and negative results as largely driven by external factors. Optimism isn’t just blindly saying everything will work out, but seeing every situation from a positive ‘glass-half-full’ perspective.

The benefits of building psychological capital

It’s easy to grasp the benefits of more financial capital. More money means more available resources for organizations and individuals alike. Psychological capital, on the other hand, provides invaluable cognitive resources to rely upon when the workday drags on and daily tasks feel more like neverending treks. 

One piece of research published in the International Journal of Manpower just last year tells us more psychological capital in the workplace promotes less burnout, better job performances, lower turnover rates, and more work engagement. Perhaps more important than all that, though, research also suggests psychological capital fosters higher levels of job satisfaction, workplace enjoyment, and overall employee well-being.

Another study, this one published in the Polish Psychological Bulletin, examined the cultural nuances of how psychological capital influences American workers as opposed to our European counterparts. Interestingly, researchers found that North Americans tend to show higher levels of psychological capital, which usually results in fewer negative emotions stemming from problems at work.

What you can do to build psychological capital

Anyone can cultivate more personal psychological capital for themselves. That being said, it’s vital to understand that each of the four components of psychological capital are equally important. Often described as interconnected and synergistic in nature, each quality is dependent upon the other if your end goal is improved psychological capital. In other words, it would be a mistake to focus heavily on just resilience or efficacy while ignoring hope and optimism.

A few helpful tips to keep in mind while pursuing more robust psychological capital include: 

• Focus on what you can control. Most factors in the office are out of our control. When things go wrong, don’t waste energy ruminating over external circumstances. Prioritize choosing the best path forward possible.

• Practice self-reflection. Taking some time on a daily, or even just weekly, basis to reflect on recent decisions, actions, and outcomes can help facilitate further self-growth.

• Remember you’re not alone. Psychological capital may be a personal matter, but that doesn’t mean you should isolate yourself. A strong support network of peers, co-workers, and loved ones is crucial to establishing a strong sense of belief in oneself.

• Prioritize learning. There’s no better way to build self-confidence and self-assurance than by constantly sharpening existing strengths while also developing new skills.