I wrote a post sometimes on How to Bring More Passion to Your Business. Since then I have received questions on how to do the same for people not in business. At many of my meetings; I have heard people said “I don’t really think the job am doing is what I should do”, “I am in this job because I have to pay my bills”. In The Next Maverick, I wrote about a lady I met who works so hard; doing like three different jobs, her reasons were; everybody works hard. The other reason was that she had to pay her bills, provide for herself and her family. The question is, “is it possible to be in a job that you love?” or “is it possible to love your job?” Literarily, the two statements have different meanings but they both have ‘love’ in common. That means regardless of what job you are in, you can actually find love and bring passion into it.
As a leadership coach, my recommendation to people going through such phase is to consider the following questions: If I am not satisfied with my current position or duties, what is it I want to do? What are my true work interests and, what kind of work environments do I prefer? You should be aware of your work interests and preferences so that you can make decisions about a career path that aligns with those interests and preferences, whether it’s to make a change to your current job or continue to work toward greater and higher levels of responsibility in your chosen profession. I believe all of us yearn to experience passion in whatever we do, be it business, work or otherwise. Of course, the two can no longer be easily compartmentalized and I’m convinced that bringing passion to work makes us more creative, resilient, and affects our well-being. Expressing our passion in our work is no longer an option. It’s an imperative for us to thrive.
Is this achievable? My answer is YES!
If you are already feeling flat, here are five changes you can make right now to bring passion into your current job.
1) Change the way you see yourself from a ‘receiver’ to a ‘value giver’. Many successful entrepreneurs will tell you that that achieving financial independence is not a primary motivation for working. There is so much inside you to give. You have more value capability within you than you could possibly experience in a lifetime. You can never reach your limit of creating or adding value and you do not need to worry about how to convert your internal value into your external value ‘money’; as you will see, it will happen automatically. All you need to do is to be a person of value, that is be ‘giving focused’. Some people give time, they volunteer to support different causes and in so doing they become successful and ultimately significant.
2) Change the way you see your job from “my job is a paycheck” to “my job is an opportunity to express my passion”. If you bring a mindset that your job is just a paycheck, guess what you’ll find? Frustration, stress, anger et al. When you have a mindset of giving, exercise it daily, act on it, become it and situations and opportunities will automatically present themselves for the equivalent conversion into money. We usually find what we look for. So look for something different.
3) Change from “finding passion outside” to “find passion inside”. When am speaking to couples facing challenges in their marriages; I ask them to list all the things that are working and focus on how to improve on them. The point is, your job is not as bad as you think, look for those things that resonate with your interest or lifestyles. Discuss with your manager to take on tasks or roles that you feel align more with your passion. Sometime ago, I was working as a project manager for an organisation, I have asked to work in the HR department for one day a week to help with employees training and employment related issues. Shortly I was appointed to join the ‘Joint Staff Council’. I met new friends in the team and learnt new skills. You don’t have to go from job to job trying to find passion. The answer lies inside, not outside. It often lies in our moments of greatest joy at work. What are these for you?
4) Change from “My job is a temporary fix” to “My job is preparing me for future”. I believe every day present us with opportunities to learn. From dealing with people, coping with change, negotiating contracts, managing priorities etc. If you are nurturing the ambition to start your business in future, start seeing your current job as a training field, improve your skills, and go for training. You do not have to leave your job to pursue your passion; else you will see yourself going around in circles. You’ll be stuck, unhappy and disengaged. The escape route is to look for opportunities to be purposeful where you’re planted.
5) Change from “groaning about your job” to “being grateful for your job”. Let’s face it, it could be worse. Think of how many people applied for your job before you eventually got it, think of how many people are unemployed and willing to just take any job. Be grateful for what you have, the people you work with – however bad you perceived them to be. Gratitude breeds positive energy and positive energy attracts good things into your life. Embrace your present situation with love whilst you strive to achieve the best for your life. I believe life is too sweet to live it in “if I could, if I had” start enjoying the now – the moment. The number one regret of the dying was not having focused on what matters – the Present. I hope we all do so while we still have time.
Photo credit Hernani Larrea
