What we do to make a living plays such a critical role in our lives that it’s worthwhile to ask ourselves now and again whether we’re in the right job.

There are four dimensions of job satisfaction: what you do, who you work for, who you work with, and what you’re paid. If there’s a big deficiency in any one of these, you should consider changing your job by fixing what’s broke or finding another one.

Remember, you do have a choice. Sure, you need a job, but it’s a trap to believe you need the job you have. Like it or not, you could lose your job at any time for a whole lot of reasons. And if you do, you’ll get a new job – often a better one.

To have a good life, you need a good job, one where you can feel a sense of achievement in what you do, where you can be proud of whom you work for, and where you like and respect the people you work with.

As Disraeli said, “Life is too short to be little.” Don’t belittle your life by demeaning work.

No job is inherently demeaning. Physical labor can be as rewarding and meaningful as management. Every job can be performed in a manner that is significant and worthwhile. What is demeaning is a job where you are pressured to compromise your values or where you work for or with people or a company you aren’t proud to associate with – a boss who’s dishonest, disrespectful, irresponsible, or unfair or coworkers who don’t care about quality and excellence.

John Ruskin said, “The highest reward for your toil is not what you get for it, but what you become by it.” Your job should make you a better as well as a happier person.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.