If you have not read Chapter 1 or Chapter 2 then check out the chapters of 'A Book' at this link 

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Having completed Chapter 2, you should have a picture in your mind that looks like this:

The picture shows how your feelings are described within a range while you are at work and it shows how you normally feel at work. Check your range to make sure it does not include your absolute best or worst feelings. The intent is to capture how you feel 90-plus% of the time...but not 100%. Stated another way, we want the range to include feelings that have a 90-plus% likelihood of being experienced in the future.

Now, consider the "Low" and "High" ends of the range and the "Norm". Test them for reasonableness.

Focus, one at a time, on the following 3 things:

1. Where is your range situated on the Minus10-to-Plus10 Scale?
2. How broad is your range?
3. Where does your Norm sit within your range?

If you are comfortable with doing it then ask a trusted friend, co-worker or boss to check your range and Norm...do they agree with these 3 aspects of your self-assessment?

When this is done think about how satisfied you are with your Low, your Norm, and your High. 

If you are truly satisfied then - terrific.

If your scores do not satisfy you then you have some options.

You could:

• Determine how to become satisfied with your Low, Norm, and High
• Determine how to raise at least one of your Low, Norm, or High

Those are the fundamental choices you should consider.

If you are like most people then you would like to enjoy work more. After all, you are spending a large amount of your waking hours at work...it makes sense to enjoy that time as much as you can. To accomplish that you can reduce the amount and extent of negative feelings or expand the amount and extent of positive feelings. 

With your range of feelings established with 'Low' and 'High' points and your feelings 'Norm' established you have benchmarks to help you accomplish those objectives.

link to Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Having completed Chapter 1, you 'got present' and you rated how you feel about your work-situation. 

That's an important first step. You took a time out. You allowed your mind to step away from its busy day and you focused on your feelings about work. Consciously, or unconsciously, you weighed your work against other important aspects of your life including your health and your family. Consciously, or unconsciously, you also weighed your work-situation relative to your work-goals, your financial needs, and other needs and desires important to you. 

These other important aspects will be dealt with later in this book. For the time being, it is important to concentrate solely on your feelings about your work-situation. In the last chapter, you rated your feelings. As you did that you determined the general nature of your feelings. You chose either Plus or Minus or, perhaps, you chose Ho-hum.

The next step is to consider the range of feelings you have experienced about your work-situation. Think about your workdays during the last year or two. During that period, if you are like most people, you have had terrific days, good days, ho-hum days, not-so-good days, and terrible days. Perhaps, you would rate a few of those days as Plus10 days or Minus10 days...think of those as extreme days.  

For this second step...

The goal is - to define the range of the feelings you normally and regularly have about your work-situation. If you have only had a few extreme days during the last year or two then, for the time being, ignore them. If you have experienced extreme days on a frequent basis then include them.

Using the Minus10-to-Plus10 Scale...

What is the normal range of your feelings about your work-situation?

As you answer this question, test your thoughts. Take some time to think about how your 'getting present' rating from Chapter 1 fits within the range you just defined. Does the fit between the low end of your range, your getting-present rating, and the high end of your range make sense to you? Make sure the range accurately describes the feelings you regularly experience about your work-situation.

Drop what you're doing and take a time out. 

During your time out, think about how work fits into your life. Forget, for the moment, the past and how you got to where you are. And, set aside thoughts about the future. 'Get present' about your work-situation. Think about the role you do at work. Think about your work-tasks, your work-place, the people you provide service to, and other aspects of your work. 

When you are sure you are focused on your present work, answer this question: "How do I feel about my present work-situation?" 

Think about your feelings. Decide how to measure them. Be clear. And use a measuring tool so you can pinpoint exactly how you feel. The tool you use to measure your feelings must be simple, easy to understand, and easy to use.

The Minus10-to-Plus10 Scale meets those requirements.

Here's how it works.

When people use this scale to measure feelings, there are two extremes - one most-positive and the other most-negative. When answering the question "How do I feel about my present work-situation?":

• If you answer Plus10 then you are telling yourself your work-situation could not possibly be better. Every aspect of your work-situation is sheer bliss. 

• If you answer Zero then you are telling yourself your work-situation is ho-hum. Your work contains no highlights. Nothing about your work is particularly good or particularly bad. Your workdays are uneventful.

• If you answer Minus10 then you are telling yourself your work-situation could not be worse. Every aspect of your work-situation is absolutely unbearable.