LOVING YOUR WORK

When someone starts complaining about their work and how their bosses complain about them and how they feel they are not doing enough, there is just one thing that comes to my mind and I ask them straight up ‘Do you love your job?’ It is an easy enough question, but 9 out of every 10 such people do not have an answer right away and after much prodding, 90% of them admit they actually do not like what they are doing. Do you like what you do, your work?

When I try to imagine myself doing something I did not like on a daily basis and the picture I get is very depressing. I remember the very first time I quit my job was because I found I had gotten to a point where I was not looking forward to getting up in the morning and getting ready for the office. I did some personal evaluation and the result was that my job at the time had become a routine for me, there was nothing exciting, nothing new, I could do what I was doing with my eyes closed and no errors would be found. At that point I decided it was time to move on. I was not enjoying my job.

Everyone deserves to love what they do, and to do what they love. No matter how well you do your job, at the end of the day you want to feel rewarding and enjoyable, get recognition and promotion for your efforts and be appreciated at what you do. The result of your effort is not always fulfilling if you do not like what you doing.

No matter how good things are in other areas of your life like your relationships, family, social life, your work is a vital aspect also. You owe it to yourself not to neglect how you feel about your work as it is directly connected to how those other parts function. Does what you do for work make you jump out of bed every morning, do you sparkle when you think of work or you feel dread. Assuming you feel dread, you may want to ask yourself: is it me or is it the work? You can either change jobs or embark on a new career; if you are not thinking of changing jobs soon you can do the following;

Find Value in what you do: Why were you employed in the first place? What made you apply for your present position? Recognise the importance of the work you do in your unit and department and the organisation at large. If your work was not important you would not have been employed. There is a reason you are paid to do the job you do. Everyone plays an important role in their position, find out what yours is and be proud of what you do.

Expand Your Interest: Do not get lost in the monotony of everyday job. Be open to ideas and find new ways to do your work. Attend seminars and workshops, get new skills. Reinvent yourself so that you approach your work in better ways, and your task will get in a new light.

Be conscious of career growth and work towards promotion. If you are not already familiar with the avenues of promotion in your office, talk to management and see what levels you can rise to and what positions higher up are suitable for you. If there are no roles available, ask for additional responsibilities and challenges.

The reason some people find work boring and tiresome is if because they have not

allowed themselves share. Ask for help from colleagues if you need to and share your concerns about a particular challenge with those you comfortable with. When you share, the burden becomes lighter and you have more ideas to work with. 

Make Work a Fun Place: One reason you probably do not like your job is that you do not feel comfortable in your work place. You probably had a fight with one or two colleagues and now it is hard to speak more than 3 words to them or to anyone in your office. Well that is not going to help you in any way.

Since these are the people you spend time with you should extend an olive branch to them. If you are friends with your colleagues, get to know them more. Learn about them and their family and spend time to enquire about how they are faring with work. Try also to build a relationship with your clients since they are people you do business with; learn more about them and how you can best relate with them.

Have a positive air around you and lighten your overall mood. Do not let your job define your personality but instead let your personality define your job. If you are the type that when you go away for prolonged periods people do not notice your absence, you might want to work on changing your attitude and be more endearing and open. This does not in any way mean you neglect your job. It simply means you should stop seeing you job as a tedious task that need to be dealt with. Stop being grumpy, be fun, and share jokes. Laugh and create cheer so others want to be around you.

Get Motivated to face the Day: Find out what motivates you and do more of those activities in the morning. Are you religious? Then pray or engage in soul lifting activities. Do you read motivational books by renowned authors? You might want to read a book on your way to the office. Pep yourself up with motivational articles.

You can schedule your quiet time for mornings just before you get out of bed to start the day. Take time out to reflect on what your day would be and what things you would do during the day. Pay particular attention to activities that will cause a change in your work.

I realise that no job is perfect, every job has its ups and down. Consider that you and your job are in a relationship and even the best relationships have their down time. What makes relationships work is the determination to make it work.

I have also come to realise that the fastest way to kill your passion is by comparing yourself to the accomplishments of others. If you do that stop at once and instead focus on improving yourself, your craft and your vision; the rest will follow.