As they say, "one person's trash is another's treasure". When you are hopping from one garage sale to another in the summer months, this adage is easy to understand.
When it comes to our daily work? Not so much.
Seth Godin talks often about bringing art into work to the point where work itself is transformed into art. Jeff Goins talks about this too as does Steven Pressfield.
Goins, a writer in Nashville has been preaching the gospel of "work is art" for several years. He explained in the first episode of his podcast, "Writers and artists have long had to figure such things out, but as the world of work changes, more people will be forced to think of their work less in terms of a job and more in terms of a portfolio."
So how can you see beauty in your work and see your work as an art-form? I suggest that we look at the big picture- things can always be worse.
“An artists is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity, and boldness to challenge the status quo. And an artists takes it personally.”
Another idea is to keep a "smile file". When someone sends me a nice email or note, I ask my assistant to file it in the smile file. You never know when you need a pick-me-up (i.e. the entire month of January in New Jersey!).
Finally, forming a professional "mastermind" group can really help. You'll find that others have the same problems as you and that things really aren't that bad.
There is a ton of beauty to be found in your work. There is so much good that you can bring to your work!