A steady paycheque just doesn’t seem to cut it with the new recruits of today’s workforce. This new generation of workers expects employers to support them in achieving worklife balance.

Employers take note!

Perhaps it is that we have seen what our parents sacrificed in order to be succesful in their careers. Perhaps we know people whose priorities were dictated to them for whatever reason and were unable to pursue their dreams. Or perhaps it is just that we have been brought up knowing that we could do and have it all.

These may be lofty ambitions, but they’re not impossible.

When you know what you want, there’s no reason why you can’t have it.

As a new recruit into the working world, I admit that I had idealistic dreams of finding my dream job; a job that would allow me to spread my wings and fly. Like I said, it was an idealistic dream.

As my peers and I have begun to make our own paths in the world, I notice that the confident, “bring it on” attitude that most of us had leaving school has now become more of a complacent, survival kind of attitude in the workplace.

I know of some people who have already completely burnt out at their current jobs and are either contempating quitting or have already done so.

What happened? We were supposed to take on the world!

Perhaps the people I know are not a representative sample of the general population. Perhaps the struggles we encounter in the workplace are simply stepping stones in our career developments (What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger…or something like that).

Who knows?

One thing I do know is that most of us are willing to work hard, produce results, expand our skill sets, etc., etc. The problem arises when, for whatever reason, we feel that we are being stretched to our limits with little recognition, no reward and no end in sight.

This principle does not apply only to people of my own generation. The principle that people need to feel appropriately rewarded for their work is universal.

But what do you do when you have nothing left to give your employer?

Though this requires a lot of consideration and is certainly not for everybody, leaving your job may be an option. If you are considering quitting as a real option, you should read “A Job Quitter’s Primer” on The Digerati Life. The Digerati Life outlines 25 insightfull points you should think about if this is an option you seriously want to consider.

Like I said, quitting your job is not for everybody, and it is not a decision to be taken lightly.

But on the other hand, is feeling like you have nothing left to give your employer, not to mention your family, friends and yourself, worth it?

I don’t know that it is…

I’m talking about laughter! Laugh until your stomach hurts, laugh until you can’t catch your breath, laugh until you cry!

There have been numerous studies touting the benefits of laughter on your physical and emotional health. But do we really need a scientific study to tell us that laughing will make us feel better?

Life is too short to take things so seriously. Find the lighter side of life by laughing at your own mistakes, stumbles and embarrassing moments!

Here’s a great example of something that happened to me today.

In my rush to leave the office at a normal time on a Friday afternoon to enjoy the long-awaited warm weather, I gathered up my saddle bag and the empty box I had been hoarding under my desk all day (intended for my impending move). I walked to the subway station, swiped my Metropass and proceeded to enter into the turnstile not realising that my waist size was now 3 times larger due to the additional circumference resulting from the bag and box that I was carrying.

You guessed it! With the ticket operator standing in his booth next to me and a young lady paying for her ticket and ready to go through the next turnstile, I proceeded to get stuck in the turnstile. What do I win?!

I had a moment of panic, not to mention mortification, as I realised that I could move neither forwards nor backwards. It took some wiggling and cautious manoevering, but I managed to free myself and my bag in order to let the person behind me pass through.

It’s moments like these where you can decide to crawl into a hole or laugh at the sheer hilarity of the situation! You know that if you had been a witness, you would have been hard pressed not to let out at least a little chuckle.

Why not take the situation in stride, let out a good hearty laugh and realise that sometimes you just can’t avoid the stumbles?

Despite having studied the physiology behind the stress response (fight or flight response), the positive and negative effects of stress on the physical and emotional body, as well as how to alleviate stress in our everyday lives, I am not immune to the effects of stress.

I catch myself feeling irritated with people, losing patience when tasks become more complicated than expected, having trouble concentrating at work. Not to mention the muscle aches, headaches, low levels of energy and chocolate cravings throughout the day.

So what is the answer?

There is no easy answer. Stress is an unavoidable state of living and for the most part we learn to adapt and we hopefully learn how to effectively cope with daily stressors.

We grit our teeth, bear down, and push our way through the day. Though all of those tip sheets out there to effectively cope with stress are well intentioned, are they really effective? Some days I wonder.

That’s not paranoia is it?!

Their website is full of anecdotal stories, independent research studies, and pages of benefits that can be reaped from attending their seminars and courses. Then, on a page that’s not very easy to find are their “tuition” costs for each course.

Why is it that there is an inevitable financial cost, usually a steep one too, for any course, book or lecture claiming to be able to help you be successful, attain personal happiness, and improve your health? Does this sound like an oxymoron to anyone else?

The implication seems to be that personal development and optimal health and wellbeing are only within the grasp of the financially elite. And even then, those of us who wouldn’t be considered a part of the financially elite are often willing to give our money over for this wonderful new cure or solution with the hopes that maybe this one will work this time around.

Don’t get me wrong. I fully support people in their quest for personal development, continual education and health and wellbeing. I also know that there are many resources out there that can help individuals reach these goals.

My problem lies in the “self-help” industry that preys on peoples’ weaknesses and makes them feel as though the industry can provide a no-fail solution; for a price.

Is this a problem with the industry or is it a problem that resides in peoples’ recurring need to look for an external solution to an internal problem?

One could argue that any industry’s success is based on certain exploitations of others’ weaknesses, be it another industry, individual, governmental, etc. If that’s how business works, is it really their fault?

I have no doubt that people have the individual strength and will to overcome whatever weaknesses they feel they may have. And therefore there is a part of me that thinks that individuals of today are partially to blame.

We need to relearn to be self-sufficient. We need to re-learn to believe in our own strengths and skills. We need to look inside ourselves for the solutions to our own difficulties.

Any number of self-help books or courses can tell what you’re doing wrong. At the end of the day, however, it is you who can tell yourself what you’re doing right.