It would be nice if we could all say that we loved our jobs, but that is unfortunately not the case. Regardless of where we fall on the job love spectrum, we could all do with a little advise on learning to love what we do for a living. Here are a few suggestions.
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Passion and Personal Work Ethic
A job without passion is like a loveless marriage. Sometimes drumming up passion for our work can be as difficult as getting a straight answer out of a politician. Often though, it’s all a matter of attitude. You may not have the most glamorous job in the world, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done right, and done well. No matter how mundane, take pride in your work and set goals for yourself. Goals can give us a sense of purpose, not to mention accomplishment when we can say that we’ve met, or exceeded them.
Make Connections
Your boss and coworkers are people too, regardless of any deeply held suspicions you might have. Talk to the people at work, even if you don’t work with them directly. Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation and make a connection with people, you never know when that workplace acquaintance might turn into a valuable contact, not to mention that you just might make a few friends.
Find what’s interesting in your job and learn more about it, you may find that you learn more about your company as well. See if you can get involved in a project that you find interesting. Often we can simply become bored with our work; you might talk to your boss about landing some more substantial projects. Not only will that potentially make your work more interesting, it might serve to demonstrate to your boss that you’re willing to…get involved. Everybody wins!
Pay Attention
Last week we talked about how mindfulness can help you at work by keeping you in the present moment, and trying to enjoy the process of your work instead of just the end results. By being fully present for all aspects of the project you happen to be working on you find that you have the time to take pride in what you’re doing, making the end result that much more satisfying. Also, don’t forget to breathe, nothing anchors us in the present moment like being aware of our breath.
Have a Life Outside of Work
Make sure that you’re not all work and no play. We recently discussed balancing our lives and our work, and much of that wisdom can help us to get more pleasure out of our day to day jobs, and our lives outside them. Be sure to unplug from the daily grind when you can. Take a vacation, even if it’s only for a day.
Of course it’s possible for you to try all of these things and more and still find yourself unfulfilled and wishing for more. If that’s the case then it may be time to face up to the possibility that it is indeed time to move on. And in that case it’s time to lay out a game plan and start taking the necessary steps toward work you enjoy.
Do you love your job? What are your strategies for bringing more joy and fulfillment to your work? Share them with us in the comments section!
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Tags: fulfillment, happy at work, job satisfaction, loving job
When I get to the boring bits of my job (every job has some …), I try to tell myself, “I am doing THIS NOW.” Give the task my best focus when I’m in it, and then leave it behind when I’m done.
[...] the same applies to work. Many people, if asked, would probably say that they really don’t enjoy their jobs and often wish they could do something else. There is nothing more satisfying that working in a [...]