Change of Attitude

One of my coworkers has a sign up on her cubicle wall that says:

I’m not allowed to whine about anything I can change, and since I can always change my attitude, I don’t expect a really hopeless situation in this lifetime.

I first noticed this sign a few months ago, and recently I've been thinking about it a lot. I am the queen of complaining. My best friend once gave me a mug that said "The more you complain, the longer God lets you live." I thought it was funny at the time, but I realize that whining and complaining isn't the most constructive use of my time. It doesn't change anything, it makes anything I'm complaining about more difficult, and it probably doesn't endear me to anyone listening to my whining. Sometimes this lesson comes so easily to me. Many years ago I had a pretty horrible commute to work - 2 hours each way on 3 different trains. I really didn't have a choice to change this commute - I'd either double (or more) my living expenses, or I'd take a 50% paycut. So I decided really early on that I could either continue to bitch about it and let it slowly destroy me, or I could shut up, deal with it, and make the best of it. I chose the latter. But somehow I've forgotten this lesson. I admittedly complain a lot less than I used to, but if you ask me about my job, I will no doubt tell you how much I loathe it. So I found it ironic that when I came online to type this post on this topic, that I noticed the Daily Om over on the right and today's topic is called Giving Your Gifts to the World - Being Happy With Your Job. While I encourage you to read the whole article, here's an excerpt from it:

A job that you enjoy, lets you meet your needs, and allows you to live in accordance with your values will always be more gratifying than a high-status job that you dislike. But while experiencing professional satisfaction can be a vital part of being fulfilled by your work, it is important to remember that it is possible to find happiness in any job. This is because what you do is often less important than how you do it. Your attitude and intention can turn a mediocre job into work that fulfills you because of the way that you approach it. If you do your job well and what you do benefits others, then you are doing work that is making this world a better place.

I'm very grateful that I have this job, given the current economy. But it is admittedly a very dull job that is in no way fulfilling, nor generally challenging. I think the challenge for me in this instance is the internal struggle on how to not let it get to me, how to find fulfillment in it, and to change my own attitude if I can't change the situation. This is definitely not something that can change overnight with some pithy new-agey affirmation and a fake, pasted-on smile. I guess I have to come up with some babysteps and ideas on how to approach this.