If you read one more article on happiness in the workplace, you're going to lose it.

如果你再閱讀一篇關(guān)于職場幸福感的文章，你很快就會失去它。

Sometimes, we assume that finding meaning is all about saving the world, feeding the hungry, or housing the homeless. But it's not limited to that. Psychologist Todd Hall defines meaningful work as "work that contributes to the well-being of others in a way that uniquely expresses and defines who we are."

有時候，我們會認(rèn)為，尋找意義意味著拯救世界，救助貧寒。但還不限于這些。心理學(xué)家Todd Hall 把有意義的工作定義為“以一種獨一無二的方式表達(dá)和體現(xiàn)我們個人價值，對他人的幸福作出貢獻(xiàn)的工作。”

Here are some ways to find that meaning in your work — even if you think your job is a soul-sucking black hole of boredom.

下面有3種方法能夠幫助你找到工作的意義——即使你認(rèn)為你的工作完全只是一件被黑洞吞噬靈魂的無趣的事情。

1. Know your why

1. 清楚做這份工作的原因。

No matter your situation, you're at your current job for a reason. Maybe you need the income to save for a house for your growing family, or maybe there's an illness in your family and you absolutely must have the medical coverage that job provides.

無論你的情況如何，你做當(dāng)前的工作都是有原因的。也許你需要存儲薪水養(yǎng)家糊口，或者家人生病了，你必須使用這份工作帶來的醫(yī)療保障。

You may not be absolutely delighted at work every day, but that doesn't mean there's no higher purpose in what you're doing. In fact, researchers have identified that deeply meaningful lives can also be characterized by stress, struggle, and challenges.

也許你并不會每天工作得很快樂，但這不意味著沒有更高尚的理由讓你留在這個職位上。實際上，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，具有深度意義的生活能夠描述為充滿壓力，掙扎和挑戰(zhàn)的。

So, take a moment to jot down all the reasons why you work. On those days when you get down about your job situation, reflect on your deeper purpose for being there.

所以，花點時間把你擔(dān)任這份工作的所有原因都寫下來吧。當(dāng)你做一份工作的時候，反思一下你擔(dān)任這個職位的更深層原因吧。

2. Express your human goodness

2. 表現(xiàn)人性之善良

"Character strengths" are virtues, such as creativity, honesty, kindness, social intelligence, or gratitude, that allow you to express goodness and help yourself and others. Finding and expressing your unique character strengths can fill your life with more meaning and satisfaction.

“性格特長”指的是諸如創(chuàng)造力，誠實，友好，社交智商，或者感恩的心，那些能夠表達(dá)你的善良與美好并能幫助自己和他人的優(yōu)點。找一找并表現(xiàn)你獨特的性格特長，能夠讓你的生活充滿意義和滿足感。

By doing this, you'll find meaning from an intrinsic perspective — in other words, from what's already inside of you — rather than expecting your job to create and deliver a sense of happiness to you from the outside.

通過這樣做，你能夠從一個本質(zhì)的角度發(fā)現(xiàn)意義——換而言之，從你的內(nèi)心深處，而不是你希望工作為你創(chuàng)造的，以及從外部傳達(dá)的幸福感。

3. Connect the dots

3. 連點成線

When you're in a job that you don't enjoy, you probably find the situation absolutely infuriating — why are you stuck in this mess?

當(dāng)你不喜歡你的工作，也許你會發(fā)現(xiàn)這樣的狀況非常惱火——為什么還要陷在這個泥坑里呢?

But instead of dwelling on the frustration of the current situation, find meaning by connecting your past, present, and future.

不過，相比于苦苦糾纏于當(dāng)前的窘境，還不如把你的過去，現(xiàn)在和將來聯(lián)系起來，尋找其中的意義吧。

Now, imagine a future where you will no longer be in a job you despise, where you'll be able to continue pursuing your goals, and where you'll finally have a career that provides both meaning and happiness. Your current situation will get you there eventually — you just have to be patient.

那么現(xiàn)在，你可以想象一下，你即將不再停留在這一份你鄙視的工作了，有一份工作可以繼續(xù)追求自己的目標(biāo)，可以找到讓你感到有意義和幸福感。當(dāng)前的狀況能夠讓你最終達(dá)到那個目標(biāo)，你只需要耐心等待。

By reflecting on the past and connecting it to the future, you can make your present unhappiness circumstance more bearable.

通過反思過去，聯(lián)系將來，你能夠讓自己更寬容地接受當(dāng)前的不滿足狀態(tài)。

As quirky as it seems, sometimes we really benefit from challenging, stressful, and, yes, even unhappy situations. Try these three strategies to look at your work life through a new lens, and realize that by creating meaning, you can also create job satisfaction.

雖然看起來很奇怪，但我們有時候的確能夠從挑戰(zhàn)和壓力，甚至是……對!從不愉快的狀況中有所成長。嘗試以上這三種方法，并以全新的角度查看自己的工作生活，并從創(chuàng)造意義中發(fā)現(xiàn)你的工作意義，還能產(chǎn)生職業(yè)滿足感。