To address the problem of disengagement, dissatisfaction, and lack of fulfillment among workers, Kurt Forsyth, FACHE offers the concept of The Unstuck Mind as a self-driven approach to employee satisfaction centered on five core techniques. The method empowers individuals in any job position to take actionable steps that improve their own work experience instead of expecting management to fix it. Solutions equip workers with mindsets, habits, and practical tools to create enjoyment and meaning for themselves and those around them, regardless of their circumstances. Rather than relying on external changes, the approach is to adopt a mindset focusing on what can be controlled and improved from within, through clear actionable principles and stories showing how change is possible. Five actionable principles are accompanied by real-life examples from the author’s personal experience. Each chapter provides a specific principle that readers can implement immediately. The author’s personal anecdotes and true stories illustrate each principle to demonstrate their effectiveness in a variety of work settings.

Stop the “us vs. them” talk

Apparently 80% of employed workers in America feel disengaged, dissatisfied, and unfulfilled in their jobs. There are 128 million workers out there feeling this way. They are repeating some variation of “my job sucks!” almost daily. You are not alone. You are not all alone in the world feeling like no one cares about you, and feeling like your work doesn’t really make a difference.

Your mind is a powerful creation device that can transform a crappy job into a tolerable job, and maybe into a good job. It really depends on you, not them. The “Us v. Them” battle has been raging for centuries. It has gotten to the point that anxiety, depression, suicide, and substance use are off the charts. We self-protect against Them by harming ourselves and blaming Them. Think about what causes you stress about going to work. You wake up when the alarm goes off. Hit snooze a few times. Finally drag yourself out of bed and that persistent grumble runs through your head, “I don’t want to go to work.” Why is that? Is it your boss? Is it a bully coworker? Is it physically taxing on your body? Is it emotionally unbearable? I have felt many of these same feelings before.

However, I was also blessed with a superpower called pathological positivity. Really what this means is that I tolerate crap more, and longer than most people. I can do this because I do not fully process the mental and emotional harm being caused to me. I assume good intent in people. I am trusting. I give people the benefit of the doubt. Because of this condition of being pathologically positive, when I do get bogged down into depression or loneliness, I can bounce back quicker than most.

Through this perspective I learned early on that the Us v Them battle is fabricated. It’s a lie we tell ourselves to divert blame away from ourselves. So, you don’t need to force yourself to be positive all the time to see through this perspective. You have the ability to choose to control your part of whatever situation you are in. You can choose to end the “Us v Them” battle for yourself. “Them” honestly doesn’t recognize the damage they are causing and “They” are not going to suddenly realize the error of their ways and fix everything for you. Stop waiting around for that to happen. Take charge of your own mind, your own emotions, and your own happiness.

Each day, as you remember that you are not a doormat and that you have a job to do, your own self worth grows. There are several specific suggestions throughout this book that can help develop your own self-worth if you are willing to try them and test them out. At no point will I suggest revenge, retaliation, sabotage, harming others, or damaging property. There are plenty of TV shows to watch if that is what you are looking for. My focus has been on controlling things that I can control, resisting the urge to blame others, comparing only to my past self, and not beating myself up when I screw up.

You can also focus on responding within your control, resisting blame, compare to improve, and give yourself grace. The first step in finding joy at work is accepting that you are 100% accountable for everything you do at work. You make an error. Own it. You show up late, miss a meeting, miss a quality check, spill the coffee, clog the toilet, break the chair, start a fire, or whatever else you do to mess up, own it!

Get unstuck with a new viewpoint

Every conflict has two sides. Every story has heroes and villains. He your own hero by taking accountably for your part in whatever conflict is happening at work. Notice when you start to blame others. Then hold back on the blaming and complaining. Give it a try