You know work is good when:

1. Your smile is infectious, even on the tube.
2. Every day you find out something new…
3. …and pass on something to someone else.
4. You wonder how you’re going to have fun, not when.
5. No tunnel is so long that you can’t see the light at the end…
6. …and you’re learning to climb hills instead of ploughing through them.
7. The team can reach agreement on anything except where to have lunch.
8. You come to work with questions, and leave with different questions.
9. Your friend asks you, “How was your day?” and really wants to know.
10. Sometimes you amaze yourself.

I wrote these ten things down back in January last year. The client I was at was difficult, and I wasn’t actually getting any of these things. It seemed like a positive way to express my frustration.

A scant eight minutes after I wrote the post, I got a phone call telling me to pack my bags. I was going to Xian. I left the difficult client behind.

Now, looking back at those ten things, it seems to me that despite the occasional off day, I have them. All of them. Better still, I’ve learnt how to keep them, even at difficult clients.

That’s why I’m revisiting this post. It’s also why, after three years at the job, I’m still proud to be a Thoughtworker. You guys rock my world.