What's the difference between job satisfaction and career contentment, and are you suggesting that people settle for less or find contentment in a bad job?
No! I don't propose staying in a bad job. However, if you are in a bad job and haven't left, it's because you've discovered something that gives you contentment. The trick is to find out what that is and focus more on that and less on the dissatisfactions.
Here it is:
Job satisfaction is based on the enticements offered or taken away by employers. Things you can put a price tag on and wouldn't exist if it weren't for something the employer was offering: the job, pay, benefits, supervision, training, working conditions, safety, and so forth.
You have to earn these things and if you lack just one, you have a legitimate claim of job dissatisfaction…even if all the other things are satisfying. So in effect, your satisfaction is co-dependent on what the employer offers. You can't control it and if you leave, the satisfaction in your next job will be dependent on what the next employer offers.
On the other hand, contentment is a state of mind. You own it and it's not dependent on other people or material things. You take it with you, and even if you're not happy or satisfied, you can still be content. It's a matter of understanding how to do this, and that's exactly what our resources teach you.
Applied to your career, contentment is not about being laid back, giving in or doing with less. That's likely to get you fired. It's about developing a peaceful state of mind that enhances your effectiveness to think clearly, make better choices, and tolerate things that are normally upsetting.
It's derived not from the transient satisfactions that keep you dependent on employers, but from meaningful work. So in addition to a paycheck, you work for the deeper and more personal reward of using your talents to fulfill your callings. In this context, your work is perhaps one of the greatest sources of your contentment.
