” Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to love what you do” -Steve Jobs
If every person in the planet was lucky, he or she would be doing what he or she loves best and get paid
for it. Unfortunately, some of us are constrained to mediocre jobs that do pay well in order to survive day to day. However, if you loved your job, you would find yourself looking forward to going to work whether you may be working in a retail conglomerate or in seo consulting services .In fact, a wise and popular maxim coined by Confucius has had a rather interesting view on jobs and professional careers. He has said that if a man chooses a job that he loves, he will never have to work a day in his life. Similarly, Simon Sinek has asserted that stress results from working for something we do not care about, while working for something we love is called passion. Without a doubt, a huge fraction of our lives is spent working, so it is only natural for us to desire doing something we do love and get paid for it. Though seeking a job you inherently love is incredibly laudable, albeit a bit hard to do, it is not exactly realistic nor is it practical. People may complain about being discontent with their 9-5 jobs, but you do not exactly see a mass exodus of employees seeking better jobs elsewhere, making radical career changes or doing freelance work all in the name of passion.
Leaving our jobs where we generate steady income to chase our passions is detrimental to stability. Not to mention that it breeds uncertainty for the future and may not exactly provide food for the table to eat. This is not to say that all those who do are not awe-inspiring –they are, but in most cases, we have to be realistic and think about what would serve us better day to day. Fortunately though, there are countless and commendable ways to love your job more and in such a way that would motivate you to work even better.
1.) Realize that the job you have does not define you.
However, realize that how you perform it does. When it comes to your job, there is a lot that can be said for attitude. You can be smart and have the right set of skills, but all this will be for naught if you do not have the right kind of attitude complemented with the right kind of work ethic. Despite what many might think, any job can be done exceptionally well if it is done with compassion and done with care. Your attitude in going about your work has a leverage on what kind of work output you do. How you treat people, your mood does not go unnoticed and it has a profound effect on the people you work with it. Admittedly, there are inevitable scenarios wherein you cannot control the situation but you can always choose how to react and live with it.
2.) Stop focusing on the money
You might be in the job because it pays well, or you might have taken a job you disliked because the salary offer was rather exorbitant. But what you need to keep in mind is that for unfathomable reason, money will never be sufficient enough so stop using it or the lack of it for that matter as an excuse. Whatever income you might have at the end of the day, there will always be things you had wanted to do or you could have done had there been more. If this is the kind of tack you are used to, then try tracking the money you make and see where your money is really going. This can aid you to focus on thing that you really want. Sure, having an income might be one of the biggest lures of a job, but is only one small aspect of what you do. At the end of the day, your work should be more than just a paycheck in order for it to be fulfilling.
3.) Find significance in what you do
Contemplate and do some introspection. Finding meaning and significance in what you do may require you to think outside the box and give some thought about what you have been doing. Take some time to ask yourself pivotal questions as well. Do you provide essential service? Do you get to see the finished product? Do you direct how things are done? Do you feel like you are going anywhere? Then ask yourself this imperative question: How can I make this job better or done differently just because I am the one doing it? Thinking outside the box and asking yourself some reflective questions would put things in perspective. As a result, satisfaction increases as well as a sense of well-being. Remember why you took the job in the first place and what drew you to it.
4.) Ask yourself if it is really worth it
When you have gone through the three phases above and still could not find any aspect in your job that is amiable to you, then consider the reasons why there is nothing in your job that you love. Is it turning you into a person you can never be or dislike? Do you see yourself not going anywhere? Perhaps, you do not need a new job but simply the direction. Do you like the person that you are while doing this job? If the answer is in the negative, then are there changes you can incorporate to change it? Or is the job itself the inherent problem? Maybe it is not the job that you are doing which is unsatisfying, but rather the different course you have taken since you have started. You might have veered off course from your original responsibilities and are constrained to do something you find no value in doing. If this is the case, maybe all you would need to do is to refocus. As much as possible, try to say no in doing things which have nothing whatsoever to do with your current job. Do not simply attend meetings or events because it is expected of you. Attend them because you want to.
Having a self-awareness about your job gives you a realistic view of what you expect of it. It also assist you in warding off feelings of malcontent and dissatisfaction. More often than not, it is not that we no longer love the job we have, but rather we have been so used to it that we no longer appreciate what we do or have lost sight in the value of what we do. At the end of the day, when you are feeling rather unhappy with you job, instead of asking yourself “how can I get the job I love?” ask yourself, “How can I love the job I have?”
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