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• Travis Massie
• Irvine, CA
• United States

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Does faking a positive attitude help your overall career path if you aren't happy in your current position?

If you are not happy in your current role but still want to advance at your company, do you possibly stand in your own way by being too positive?

I have seen many people fall into the rut of being comfortable at a job but not happy. When anyone asks how they like their job they never complain as to not "rock the boat" or be seen as negative. In fact, they almost overcompensate for their unhappiness by turning up their energy and toting the company line. When I see these people, they usually are not contributing new ideas, but are dong their job in a good and productive way (meeting or exceeding expectation). Are they standing in their own way by faking it?

In this video we see that truly being happy has proven effects on your daily work and outlook. Shawn's example of how students first feel when attending college compared to how they feel a couple of weeks in is a mirror of what we see in a lot of corporations. When we do see someone good at their job but they are faking happiness, do we need to look at what the employer is doing to change their outlook? Perhaps they did like their job when they started (similar to the college students) but after some time passes their feelings changed even though the job didn't.