It’s a fact of life. You will never be completely happy with everything all the time. There will always be something that crops up to wipe that smile off your face.

The issue is that job satisfaction is within your grasp and you may not realize it. The problem with not recognizing that you do have control over this is that you may be thinking the wrong way about your situation.

Here are some things to do:

Focus on what’s good. Even if you are the “glass is half empty” type of person, you will serve yourself better if you can identify some things about your job that you like. Just as you can’t like everything about your job you also can’t dislike everything.

You have the power to fix things. Most people can solve more problems than they think. Take some initiative and start improving the things that don’t work. Don’t try to tackle them all at the same time. Figure out a priority and systematically apply your problem solving skills.

Don’t get frustrated. When you set out to fix things that can also lead to frustration if you can’t get changes made. Do your best and realize that not everything can be changed.

It’s mostly people. Most of the time, the biggest item causing your unhappiness is other people. The biggest one is the boss. You can’t change other people and they won’t “spontaneously” change without a reason. You have to be the one to change, even if you think the other person is the spawn of Satan.

Avoiding the problem won’t make it go away. I see this a lot. You don’t address the problem but somehow think it will go away. It won’t. If you do nothing, you deserve to be unhappy.

You may need to learn something. You will feel far more empowered when you are equipped with knowledge and skills to solve your issues. This is especially true of “people” issues. Look into classes or coaching to help you.

Get the right attitude. All of the things mentioned start from the belief and attitude that you deserve to love your job and that you are a powerful creature.

Quit. When all else fails, be willing to find another job and leave this one. Sometimes, there are too many things broken to make much of a difference. I’m as tenacious as the next person but only after you’ve given it a good try, know when it’s time to move on.

If you haven’t read the various studies and books on happiness the theme is basically that happiness comes from within. YOU are responsible for your own happiness.