How to Appreciate the Job You Hate

I’ve worked in accounting for 24 years and worked as a CPA (certified public accountant) for 20 years. (It always amazes me when I throw those numbers out; I’m not that old – ha!) These are a few skills and habits I learned during that time that serve me very well now.

1. Time tracking – Yes, it sucks! As a CPA, I had to track every minute of my day (actually every 6 minutes of my day to be exact), and I complained about it, a lot. But, it’s such a valuable exercise. It helps you develop discipline and time management because you know that you will be held accountable for how you spend your time. And these are two valuable skills for a solopreneur, like me, to have.
2. Project management – I used to manage audits with budgets of over 200 hours. Plus, on any given day, I could be working for multiple bosses and multiple clients all while working with multiple direct reports. I tend to be an all or nothing kind of person, so I eventually got burned out trying to manage that type of work. But, I learned how to break a large project down into manageable pieces, and I learned how to manage people’s expectations. Both are great skills to have.
3. How to accept criticism – If you know a CPA, or anyone who analyzes data, you know that analytical people are the most critical people in the world. Being critical is actually an important part of being an accountant, but not all accountants know how to deliver criticism in a constructive way. So, over that last 20+ years, I’ve become very good at accepting and learning from criticism, which is one of the most valuable skills you can have.

Now it’s your turn. What are 2-3 things you hate about your job that could potentially serve you well in the future? Let us know in the comment.

Once you identify these tasks, you can appreciate them, and even embrace them, because you know that they are teaching you valuable lessons. These are the lessons that will, one day, allow you to realize your full potential.

For a deeper discussion about the reasons you’re not supposed to like your job, read this post: Spoiler Alert: Meaningful Work is Not What You Crave

Read this post to find out if it’s the right time to switch jobs/careers: Don’t Waste Another Minute on the Sunday Scaries

Click here for more posts with a “trust yourself” theme.

If you’re ready to Stop Settling & Start Living! check out our home page to learn more about what The Expectation Gaps has to offer.

Until next time . . . have an APPRECIATIVE day!