I am not a whiner. I am a team player, consensus builder, company gal, rah, rah, rah, barf! That perpetually positive, perky perspective wore me out, left me empty, confused, and (thank God) seeking professional help.

I relayed to my counselor all my workplace woes. “They second guess everything I say.” “I do all the work and get none of the credit.” “There’s a good old boy club and we’re only in our thirties!” Did I say I don’t whine? Oh well, my point is that even if you haven’t felt any of these things that truly did lead me to seek the help of a licensed therapist, you may at some point feel that something in the work force isn’t fair and that it’s “their” fault. This kind of mildly paranoid, mildly victim (okay, I’m saying mildly because I wasn’t that big a mess and even a little mess can really sidetrack your career and, far worse, sap the energy and joy from your real life!)

The therapist asked me a few pointed questions that helped me shift my perspective. The first two questions were simple because they were all about me…

1. What skills lead the company to hire you? This is a great question to ask yourself when you’re having a less than effective day on the job because it reminds you of your inherent value. You can do things well, which is how you wound up being hired in the first place!
2. What do you do for the company? Beyond a recitation of my position description and responsibilities, this helped focus my attention on actual progress I made on a daily basis. I was doing things to help with the forward motion on a variety of company intiatives.