What are you Thankful for at Work?

My stomach is already growling for tomorrow’s big Thanksgiving Feast!  I know it’s a bit cliché, but I can’t go through this week without a posting something about gratitude. 

I am obsessed with this time of year.  I love that even the busiest and most successful business people take a minute to appreciate the little things in life.  I always count my blessings more than usual around this time of year and am reminded of how much I love my family and our traditions. 

In today’s turbulent economy, many American’s will be adding their job to their list of things to be thankful for this year.  According to a New York Times article, the unemployment rate as of October 2008 hit a 14-year high of 6.5%.  The article says that the trend is expected to continue through next year, with unemployment rates expected to hit 8% by the middle of next year. 

With that being said, I feel it is important to take a minute to think about what you are thankful for at work.  A lot of my posts have discussed the icky and negative side of corporate America, and the difficulties of transitioning from college into the “real world.”  The truth is, the landscape has changed a lot in the past few years and therefore our perspectives need to change as well.  The days of graduating college with 5 shiny offers to choose from rarely exists anymore, so we should appreciate the job we have.

Yes, work is work.  It can be a stressful grind sometimes, but- what are the great things about what you do? 

For example, I love my wonderful clients and the great people I work with/for.  I’m blessed to have a steady paycheck that affords me to live in Chicago.  I’m thankful for my health insurance, my flex spending account, and how close I live to my office.  I get to learn a lot about different types of businesses, and how different entrepreneurs choose to run their entities.  I’m also challenged to be more detail and procedure oriented than I would normally be, which is probably a good thing for my “ADHD!”

Take a minute to be thankful for your job and where you are.  You have the luxury of being employed this year, while many Americans are spending this Thanksgiving jobless.  Even if you’re not quite in your dream role (YET!) weather the storm, appreciate the moment and realize that this is just one leg of your career journey!