Fresh out of high school, in the heat of a summer sauna, he delivered fish and poultry to homes in a van that had no air conditioning. The smells alone were suffocating, and once, a dog bit me at someone’s front door.

Worst of all, he earned minimum wage and tipping was prohibited. Pretty bad job, right?

Guess again. That miserable “opportunity” helped me buy my first stereo system on a layaway plan, which made me feel so old. Plus, he took me to my next job, indoors for a change, at a local market, and that helped me get an apartment of my own, while I was working at college.

After a year, I moved three blocks from the beach, had a great girlfriend, and was working for a division of the publishing giant, Time-Life, as their top salesperson and then manager.

I’m a big believer in the idea that there really isn’t much difference between good jobs and bad jobs. It is our attitude towards them that matters, and what we make of ourselves in the long run that counts.

Here are five things to tell yourself when you’re working in a less-than-ideal atmosphere:

(1) Everything happens, including this job. Nothing is forever, and the game we play with ourselves, worrying that a position is forever, is greatly exaggerated.

(2) I am not what I do for a living. Everyone has to get by, and the only place jobs look perfect is on doctored resumes. For me, to say “I am a lawyer” or “I am a consultant” or “I am an author” is to equate myself with these roles. To be exact, I would have to say, SOMETIMES I am a lawyer, sometimes I consult and sometimes I write. But I am not the sum of these parts, and neither are you. You transcend any role, no matter how seemingly trivial or glorious it may be.

(3) Look around you at work and say to yourself: “Your destiny is not my destiny.” You are not them in the same sense that when you are on a bus, train, or plane, you are using the same vehicle, temporarily, to get from one point to another. But when the transport arrives at the station, everyone scatters.

(4) This work will make a lot of sense one day, and what I am learning here, without even knowing it, will be of great value to me later. EVERY job I’ve ever had, and all my consulting engagements, have taught me valuable lessons and skills. Think of your co-workers, your customers, and most of all, your managers as teachers.

(5) I have options, many, and right now I choose to be here. I have the power and ability to do something else, quickly, if I want to. I am not stuck, and I am not a victim of circumstance or anyone else. I am free!

Remember: jobs are neither good nor bad. These are judgments we make about what we do. Trust me, work is a gift, so be thankful that you have the energy and opportunity to do it and benefit from it.