Your boss does not appreciate you, or is there a glass ceiling in your company or your department? Or are your clients always trying to pay less?

The solution? One is to do the bare minimum required not to get fired. Or, if you work for clients, do the bare minimum to meet spec. That’s an effective use of your time, right? 

Except, it isn’t. 

It is a race to the bottom. And eventually, you will win. 

You cannot control what your boss thinks of you. Or how the company is structured. Or how your clients see your work. 

That leaves you with the only thing you can control: your attitude. 

Doing the bare minimum, just getting by, it is a victim attitude. It is a way for you to get “revenge” on the outside circumstances that don’t reward you. 

So what is the alternative? 

The alternative is to choose to grow. To choose to be focused, to do outstanding work, work that you are proud of, and you would happily brag about at your next job interview or in the sales call with your prospects. 

Will your current boss suddenly appreciate you? 

I would say that is the wrong question. Yes, we do crave appreciation and being seen for what we are, but it starts with yourself. Appreciate yourself first. And one way to do that is to create yourself every day in the person you want to be, regardless of how those around you see you. As you get better at this, you will think differently, you will see new opportunities, you will have the energy to act on them, and your circumstances will change. 

Stay focused

All the productivity gurus and spiritual gurus talk about the power of being focused. And for a good reason. Scrolling through your social media feed scatters your mind. Juggling too many projects increase the task-switching costs. Chasing too many topics does not allow you to go deep on any of them. 

Create the discipline of staying focused. Even if you don’t like your current job, stay focused. It builds a skill that will be priceless in all areas of your life. 

Staying focused also means choosing not to indulge in fear and doubt and worry. Choose courageous thoughts; choose creative thoughts. 

A side note about becoming a martyr 

That is not what I am suggesting in this article. I am not talking about self-sacrifice; instead, I am suggesting getting out of self-pity and allowing outside circumstances to determine your inner feelings and how you show up in the world. 

Ask powerful questions like:

• what is needed from me at this moment?
• how can I help in this situation?
• whom can I connect? 
• how can I better at this?
• what is truly important now? 
• how can I be generous today?
• is what I am doing, and thinking serve my short and long-term goals?