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How do I remain focused on my job and not be distracted by petty resentments and jealousy?

6 Answers
Last Updated: 09/30/2019 at 4:32am
1 Tip to Feel Better
India
Moderated by

Jui Shankar, Ph.D

Psychologist

My worldview offers a systems perspective that values diverse clients and their struggles. I believe supportive and nonjudgmental therapeutic relationships empower clients.

Top Rated Answers
ZooeyGlassZorba
May 30th, 2016 5:33pm
When at work I try to be as irreproachable as possible. I do my job as best as I can, I stay polite and respectful with my coworkers and most of all, I stay out of their business and drama. This way if something goes wrong I can say it wasn't because of me and that's enough for me to keep my peace of mind at work. I think the trick is not to give into petty drama. It just makes my day harder and who needs that?
dreamOcean26
January 22nd, 2015 5:31pm
When you feel resentment or jealousy creeping into your thoughts, try to think, what will this serve? This negative energy, will it make me better or richer or stronger? Try to have positive thoughts, if someone has done something which has made you resent them, try to be loving and forgiving. Focus on your growth as a person.
liwenh
June 30th, 2015 1:48am
remember why you love your job and try to see the long term impact of your work which benefits society.
Anonymous
February 14th, 2017 5:39pm
Accepting the presence of resentment and jealousy, and actively choosing to focus on the job. Requires practice, but it's the way forward. When you get caught up in your work, you will not feel the bad emotions any more - at least not as long as you're focussed. They might re-surface later. Something that works for some people, but not all, is to tell yourself "I'll think about this from 7pm to 8pm - now I have to work". And then you actually spend that timeframe to think through the negative emotions; You schedule when you think about it - you take control.
Shamsiel
July 31st, 2018 6:13pm
There are a couple of things which I would recommend. Firstly, try to remain focused on the people who you are helping by doing your job. Often the purpose of a role is to assist someone. Whether it be helping a department function, serving customers, assisting members of the public etc. If you can remain focused on helping those people, you will find it easier to put aside personal issues. Another tip is to focus on your own job success and satisfaction. Try to put your focus into performing the best you can at work, not letting the negative get to you as you drive on firmly with a positive, can-do attitude. Both of these tips involve not giving time/focus to petty resentments or jealousy by instead giving focus to more positive things.
bubblyFaith17
September 30th, 2019 4:32am
What a great question. It is so easy to get caught up in what is going on in the social aspect of our job. I look at it this way - For me personally, I went to school for a certification. That certification cost money although I had a scholarship. It took time and studying to obtain. If I let someone in my head on the job to cause any type of negativity, then I am also letting them "mess with my money". I personally would not work an hour just to give that hourly wage to someone and that's basically what I'm doing in a sense if I allow any workplace drama to distract me from doing a good job. Don't let people mess with your money!