“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.”

    ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Most of us who are out of school and working generally don’t like our jobs. Some of us deal with too many hours. For others, the job is very boring. Sometimes, your job is very stressful. So, for a variety of reasons, a lot of people trudge through a job they simply cannot stand. Most of these people toil away in this employee misery.

    There are others who actively try to break out of their jobs and employee life in general. They have ideas for businesses they want to start, and some may have even started side businesses already (like an online venture). Some are part-time bloggers whose income is slowly becoming enough to sustain them. Others start to invest in real estate. Eventually these ventures become profitable enough for their owners to quit their day jobs.

    Whichever person you, the point is that, in the here and now, you are STUCK in a job you don’t like and hate going to. You feel like the proverbial “rat race” is grinding you down. So how do we get through our jobs on a daily basis? Even for those who see the light at the end of the tunnel, what do you do from here to there? How do we deal with the day-in/day-out misery that plagues us?

    The answer is focusing on the reality around us and on the things that make us who we are. These things are reflected in many tangible experiences. Here are 12 tips to help you attain this focus and get through your current day job:

    1) Remember that there are only so many hours in a day. There is only so much you can do in one day. Don’t stress over the fact that you have to finish a 10-hour work assignment in 5 hours. You do what you can in 5 hours, turn it in, and let the rest take care of itself. We’re only human, and there are limits to what we are physically capable of doing. The next time it feels like a time constraint is going to burden you to the ground, don’t become obsessed with how little time you have. Focus on what you can do with your skills and abilities in the time that you do have. The rest is out of your control and, thus, should be out of your worries.

    2) Find something you love. Since work is not what you love, find something that you truly enjoy. Everyone has specific interests and skills. Find a hobby or activity you enjoy doing and dive into it. Some people enjoy sports. Others enjoy fishing, scrapping, writing, blogging, etc. Find something you can do a little of every day and attack it with everything you have. It will become your passion. Our hobbies and activities reflect who we are, and the more we immerse ourselves in them the more we discover ourselves.

    3) Educate yourself. For those of you who strategize about ways to liberate yourself from your job and life as an employee, learn more about your hobby or passion. Take that activity that you love and find out how to turn it into a business. If you like writing, determine whether you can write short stories, poetry, or a full-fledged novel. If you love antiques, find out if you can buy and sell antiques as an Ebay business. If you have an interest in real estate, read about it and attend seminars. Researching this connection between your passion and a possible business opportunity is important for a couple of reasons. If you can turn your passion into a profitable business, you can set up a framework for escaping the 9-to-5 grind. In addition, and more important, you create a means through which you can fulfill yourself on a daily basis, and that sense of fulfillment distracts you from your workplace misery.

    4) Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Nothing bothers me more than someone telling me I “can’t” do something. I remember explaining to my boss one day the mechanics of investing in rental properties and the potential it has for developing passive income and a consistent cash flow. He dismissed it and promptly declared that it was too difficult to do. Comments and attitudes like that can quickly suppress whatever dreams you have and bury you further into your “rat race.” If you have a dream, you have to protect it, especially from people with “can’t do” attitudes. Don’t let anyone take that dream away from you. People who think something “can’t be done” simply can’t do it themselves. And then they want to tell you that you can’t do it. If you want something, and if you think it can be done, go do it, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

    5) Exercise. Not only do you have to train your mind to believe the impossible, you also have to train your body to help you achieve that. Exercise is essential to surviving the daily grind. When I wake up and exercise in the morning, I feel so good the rest of the day. My body is energetic, and my mind is quicker and more alert. The lack of exercise can bog you down. Combined with an unhappy work life, it can push you down into unspeakable depths. Exercise your body regularly, and the benefits you’ll experience will transcend the physical and spill over into a healthy mind and a vibrant self-esteem.

    6) Save money. Nothing makes you feel more miserable about work than the need to keep working to pay for items you bought with money you didn’t have. Instead of buying that new widescreen TV or that new iphone, save your money. Don’t eat out as much. Bring lunch to work. Build a fund of money that you can use for investing or starting a business. Knowing that you’re saving money for something productive will help erase the feeling that you “need” to go to work to pay your bills.

    7) Drink wine. If you’re going to spend money on something, spend a little on the fundamental pleasures of life. The ancient Greeks and Romans never spared themselves a glass of wine, so why should you? A glass of wine every day has unbelievable health benefits, and it helps you wind down after a stressful or active day. It also tastes great and pairs well with good food and enhances any meal. It’s a pleasure worth indulging in.

    Go to the movies. There is nothing like sitting in a large, cold movie theater and watching a great movie on the big screen. Widescreen TVs have attempted to replicate this experience, but there’s nothing like the real thing. Making the time to go see a movie helps you escape from reality, even if it’s just for a couple of hours. That escape can do wonders for you. It can help you re-charge your batteries and, by watching a fictional story unfold before you, allow you to sustain your dreams.

    9) Spend time with your family. The most important reflection of who you are is your family. Allowing work to consume you will only create and widen a divide between you and your loved ones. If you’re married, make time for your spouse, and don’t underestimate how important “I love you” is. If you have children, be there for them, no matter what the cost is at work. Focusing on your family will help you realize that your job, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t that important. If you know it’s not #1 on your list, then you won’t stress as if it had that kind of importance.

    10) Take at least one vacation to relax. When people take vacations, a lot of them go sight seeing. They go to Europe. They go to Disney World. They take time away from work to do things that exhaust them. Then, when they return to work from their vacations, they wish they had taken a second vacation to relax from their first vacation. This only perpetuates their unhappiness at work and makes them feel like they can’t ever get ahead. That’s why it’s so important to take at least one vacation per year where you just . . . do . . . nothing. If it means taking time off and staying home, then do that. Another great way to relax is to rent a house close to the beach. Head over every morning, get some sun, grab some lunch, and then go back to the house in the afternoon and take a nap. Taking a truly relaxing vacation will help you re-energize and, upon your return, help you cope better with a stressful work environment.

    11) Don’t do anything on weekends. That’s right. Don’t make plans. Don’t run errands. Don’t go to the mall. Don’t find activities to do. Just stay home and relax. The same rationale for relaxing vacations applies here. Having a jam-packed weekend runs you to the ground and leaves you tired and helpless when Monday’s roll around. Enjoying an activity-free Saturday and Sunday does, in the short term, what a relaxing vacation does in the long term. It helps you re-energize after a long week of irrational bosses, annoying co-workers, an overwhelming workload, and long commutes. Saturday’s and Sunday’s are there for a reason. Take advantage of them.

    12) Find a good television show. Find a show you love and get into it. The intrigue and excitement about watching a weekly sitcom or hour-long drama makes it seem as if the week passes more quickly. It’s as if you have this weekly outlet that no one can take away from you. When you sit down to watch your show, you dive into its world, and you live it and breathe it for a half hour or an hour. For several months, you look forward to that show, and you become enveloped in its plot and emotionally attached to its characters. It provides a great weekly escape from the 9-to-5 grind. My favorites are Lost, 24, and The Office. Lost, in particular, captivates me and is, quite possibly, one of the best TV shows ever made.

    Follow these 12 tips, and your work life will improve significantly.

    "人生大部分的陰影都是由于我們站在自己的陽光之下."~拉爾夫.沃爾多.愛默生

    我們中的大多數一般都離開學校，開始工作了，但又不喜歡我們的工作。一些人工作太多個鐘頭。而另一些人，工作又太乏味了。有些時候，你的工作壓力很大。因此，由于種種原因，許多人辛苦跋涉過了他們簡直無法承擔的工作。他們中的大多數只有在這悲慘的求職生活中埋頭苦干。

    而有些人積極的想要擺脫工作和職業生活的束縛。他們對自己想開始什么樣的生意很有想法，并且一些人可能已經開始了副業(就像網上創業).有些是兼職的博客撰稿人，他們的收入慢慢變得足夠養活他們自己。另一些人則開始投資房地產。最后這些創業都替他們贏得了足夠的利潤來辭掉他們的日常工作。

    無論你是那種人，關鍵是眼下，你正陷于你不喜歡的工作，你討厭去那里上班。你感覺上就像被那“你死我活的競爭”碾碎。因此我們如何才能以每天為基礎度過我們的日常工作？即使是那些看到希望的曙光的人，從這兒到那兒，你做了什么呢？我們如何才能解決那些日日夜夜折磨著我們的痛苦呢？

    這個答案就集中于圍繞在我們左右的事實以及那些使我們成為我們自己的那些事情上。這些事情反射于許多切實的經驗上。這里有12條小貼士來幫你達到這個目標并且度過你現在的日常工作。

    1） 記得一天只有那幾個小時。一天之中你只可以做那么些事情。不要過度的逼迫你自己這樣想：你不得不在5個小時內完成10個小時的工作。在5個小時里你做你力所能及的事，換句話說，就是將其余的工作放任自流。我們只是女人，我們身體上力所能及的事情有很多的限制。感覺下一次，這樣的強迫的想法就會把你壓垮，不要被你有如此少的時間迷惑。關心一下在你所擁有的時間內用你的技術和能力可以做的事情。其他的就不在你的控制之內，因此，他們也應該在你的擔憂之外。

    2） 找一些你喜歡的東西。因為工作不是你喜歡的，那就找一些你真正享受的東西。每個人都有獨特的興趣和技術。找一個你喜歡的興趣或者活動，并且投入進去。有些人喜歡運動。還有人喜歡釣魚、手工、寫作、博客等等。找一些你每天可以做一點的事情并且傾其所有地投入進去。它將會變成你的熱情。我們的興趣和活動反映著我們是什么樣的人，我們越沉浸于那些東西，我們就越能發現真正的自己。

    3) 教育你自己。對于那些自己制定方法將自己從工作和生活中解放出來的雇員來說，你們應該學習更多有關于你們的興趣和熱情的事。從事你喜歡的活動，并且想出如何將此轉化為一項職業。如果你喜歡寫作，那么你就決定你是不是可以寫寫短的故事、詩歌、或者似模似樣的小說。如果你喜歡古董，那么想想你是否可以像Ebay那樣買賣古董。如果你對房地產感興趣，那么多讀讀這方面的書籍并且參加研討會。由于許多原因，調查一下你的熱情和可能的商業機會之間的聯系是十分重要的。如果你可以將你的熱情轉化為一項可以盈利的事業，那么你就可以建立一項事業來擺脫朝九晚五的工作帶來的折磨。另外，也是更重要的，你建立了一個可以在每天的基礎上實現自己的計劃，并且這樣的滿足感會把你的注意力從痛苦的工作上轉移開來。

    4） 不要讓任何人告訴你，你不能做到一些事。沒有比其他人告訴我，我不能做到某些事情更讓我困擾的了。我記得有一天我向我的老板解釋投資出租物業的技巧和發展被動收入和一致的現金流轉的潛力。他駁回了我的建議并且迅速地宣稱：那實在是太難了，根本無法做到。他的評論和態度就像是快速地壓制了你的夢想并且將你更深的埋入“你死我活的競爭”之中。如果你有一個夢想，你不得不去保護它，尤其是從那些帶有“你不行”的態度的人手里。別讓任何人從你身上奪走你的夢想。簡單地認為某些事情無法做到的人自己也沒有辦法做到。于是他們想告訴你，你也無法做到。如果你想要某些東西，并且如果你認為那可以做到，那么就去做吧，別讓任何人和你說那些話。

    5） 鍛煉。你不僅僅要訓練你自己的思想去相信不可能的事情，你還要訓練你的身體來幫你實現它。鍛煉是從日常工作中生存下來的基礎。當我早上醒來做運動的時候，我在接下來的一天中都感覺很好。我的身體充滿了精力，我的思維更加敏捷，更加警醒。缺乏鍛煉會使你陷入困境。伴隨著不愉快的工作生活，它會將你推入無法形容的深淵。有規律的鍛煉你的身體，以及由此體會到的益處會超越身體，延續到一個健康的思維和膨脹的自尊。

    6） 存錢。沒有比你努力工作來買自己買不起的東西更凄慘的了。不要買那款新的寬屏電視和新的iphone手機，省下你的錢。不要老是出去吃。帶著午飯去上班。存下一筆你可以用來投資或者開始一項事業的錢。知道你自己真在為某些有產出的事情存錢會抹去你需要去工作來付賬的感覺。

    7） 喝紅酒。如果你要在某些事情上花錢，那么花一些在生活的基本享受上。古希臘和羅馬人從來都是就不離身，所以為什么你就應該呢？每天一杯紅酒有著難以置信的健康方面的益處，它也將幫助你在一天的勞累和奔波后舒緩下來。它喝起來也很美味，伴著其他好的食物一起吃的話可以提高每餐的質量。這是很愉悅的享受，值得你沉浸其中。

    8） 去看電影。沒有什么能比得上坐在一個寬敞、涼爽的劇院，在大螢幕上看一場出色的電影了。寬屏電視嘗試著復制這種體驗，但是這根本不像原來的那種感覺。花點時間去看一場電影幫助你逃離現實，即使只有幾個小時。那樣的逃離可以讓你感覺很奇妙。通過看一場在你面前打開的小說，可以幫助你充電并且使你維持你的夢想。

    9） 花點時間和你的家人呆在一起。你是誰的種重要的反映是你的家庭。讓你的工作耗費你所有的時間只會建立和加寬你和你愛的人之間的分歧。如果你已經結婚了，那么為你的配偶花一些時間，并且不要低估了“我愛你”的的重要性。如果你有孩子，那么和他們呆在一起，無論在工作上你會付出什么樣的代價。重視你的家庭會幫你了解到你的工作，雖然有重大的一系列的計劃，也不是那么重要了。如果你知道工作不是你人生的清單中最重要的東西，那么你就不會因為它好像是那么重要而感到壓力了。

    10）至少休一次假，讓自己放松一下。當人們休假的時候，他們中的很多人出去觀光。他們去歐洲，去迪斯尼樂園。他們擺脫工作，從容地做很多事情，知道精疲力盡。然后，當他們結束休假回到工作中的時候，他們就希望在第一次休假之后，再休第二次假來放松一下。這只會使他們在工作中一直不開心并且覺得他們從未獲得過成功。這就是為什么每年至少要休一次假是如此重要的原因，在那里你什么都不需要做。如果休假意味著抽出一點時間呆在家里，那么就那樣做吧。另一個放松的很好的方法是在靠近海邊的地方租一棟房子。每個早上抬起頭，曬曬太陽，吃些午餐，然后回到屋里睡一個午覺。一個正真放松的假期將幫助你再次充滿活力，并且在你回來后，幫助你更好的處理壓抑的工作環境。

    11）周末不要干任何事情。沒錯。不要制訂計劃。不要被差遣。不要去商業街。不要找一些活動去做。只呆在家里放松一下。令人放松的假期的原理在這里也同樣適用。過一個忙碌的周末會使你累趴下，并且當星期一到來的時候會使你感到辛苦和無助。在一段很短的時間內享受一個什么也不做的周六和周末，和在一段長時間內休一個令人放松的假有一樣的效果。在冗長的一周內，你要面對無理性的老板，令人生氣的同事，壓倒性的工作量和長時間的通勤，在此之后，一個放松的周末會幫助你恢復活力。周六和周末的存在就是因為這個理由。把他們利用起來吧。

    12) 找一個好的電視節目。找一個你喜歡的的節目并且沉浸其中。看一個每周一集的連續劇或者長時間的戲劇的興趣和興奮使這周看起來過得快一些。這好像你有每周一次的發泄途徑，沒有人可以剝奪。當你坐下來看節目的時候，你沉浸在那個世界里，你被它的情結牢牢吸引，情感也被其中的角色牽絆著。它提供了一個很好的每周一次逃離朝九晚五的工作的途徑。我最喜歡的是迷失、24、和辦公室.迷失特別能吸引我，并且很有可能是最好的電視節目。

    遵照這12條小貼士，那么你的工作生涯會有很大的提高。