Here goes:

Pick an average day in an average week at work.

Run through that day in your mind.  Imagine getting to your desk, greeting your cheery colleagues, powering up your laptop and going about your business.

Perhaps you’ve got a few emails to reply to...

Maybe you’re in and out of meetings…

Or there could be a big project underway.

Whatever the case, try to put yourself – mentally – in the middle of that day.

Now here’s the question:

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy this average day in this average week?

What’s your number?

Still thinking?

I’ll wait.

Got it? 

Okay. 

Now imagine this:

You’ve just handed in your notice.  You’ve got two months until you leave work.  And then you’ve got two months gardening leave where you’re still getting paid (yippee!) and you can go travelling, learn yoga, build an orphanage or do whatever else you’d love to do.

In your mind, I’d like you to run through that same day as before with exactly the same emails, meetings and projects.

Only difference this time is you know you’ll be leaving your job in two months.

Now, back to the same question: 

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy this same day at work?

Is your number higher, lower or the same?

Perhaps you’ve actually experienced this thought experiment in real life.

I encountered something similar myself.

When I handed in my notice in 2021, I still had two months to work.  And I realised my “enjoyment factor” in those two months went up.

If I hadn’t handed in my notice, I know those days would’ve still been a strain & a struggle.

But once I’d handed in my notice I started enjoying those days!  Even though the days themselves, the work and my day-to-day actions were identical.  Even though I hadn’t started meditating or journalling each morning.  And even though I wasn’t trying to think optimistically, adopt a positive mindset or reframe the day.

Work just looked different.  And I experienced work differently too.

The point should be clear:

Anyone can experience the same day at work in completely different ways without actively trying but simply by viewing the day through a different lens.

In my case, the thought “I’m quitting my job” activated a lens which turned a stressful day into a much calmer day.

But you don’t need to quit your job to activate this lens, or trick your mind by pretending you’re quitting your job, or even change anything about your work or your situation.

All you need to do is understand how to activate a different lens.

In my new group coaching programme Thrive at Work, we’ll be exploring this understanding, trying on various lenses, seeing how different lenses open our eyes in different ways and ultimately finding the lens or lenses that work best for you.

Lenses which, if you want them to, can be loaded to the max with fun, flow, ease, happiness, creativity, lightness, calm and balance.

If you’d like to check out the details about Thrive at Work, they’re all in this Google Doc.

But don’t hang about.

The deadline’s tomorrow and latecomers won’t be admitted.

 - Tom