Confucius said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” It’s a lovely thought. Except, it’s just not true.
When you love something, and it becomes your “job,” it will naturally change the way you look at it. I’m sure not all professional athletes look forward to every day at their job. Take sprinters, for instance—the sprinting part takes 10 seconds, but the many other hours working out and training involve a lot of hard work.
I love to golf. Unless I’m having a bad game, and then I hate golfing.
I bet Blake Shelton loves to perform; but the travelling required to be on tour has got to be tough.
As admins, we may essentially love what we do, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t work. It is work. It is hard work. Most days it’s worth it, but every once in a while we lose our passion for the work. When our passion is gone, the duties are work and the fun and excitement disappear.
How do you get that passion back? Here are few tips to help you focus so you can get back to doing what you love and loving what you do:
[ctt template=”3″ link=”hpU3X” via=”yes” ]Do you know how to get the passion back in your job? Not easy, but here are some tips[/ctt]
Ask yourself, “What is the root of the problem?” Admit that you’ve lost your passion and ask yourself what attracted you to the job in the first place. Was it the money, the friends who worked there, the hours, your boss, or the commute?
Sit down and reflect on what has caused your passion to change. You may realize that your needs have changed and that is where the disconnect occurred.
About 12 years ago, I hired Caroline to be my assistant. She had three young boys in school, so she wanted a job that was close to home and flexible around the school day. If a child was sick, she could work from home, and I was happy to give her the summer off because I do very little work in the summer. It was a win-win for us both, and she absolutely loved her job. She was very good at it, too.
Then, unfortunately, her marriage was in trouble, and she needed to make more money, with more hours, and with benefits. So, she started another part-time job while she still worked for me. It was pretty clear to both of us that she had lost her passion for working with me, because her needs had changed.
If you can pinpoint why the passion for your job is gone, it can be easy to fix it. We knew that the fix for Caroline wasn’t to be found working with me. We are still friends – she now has a great job that fits her needs, and all is fine.
You must be engaged in your job to be passionate about it. According to Gallop, only 13% of people are engaged at work, and most are not enthusiastic about their job. Ask yourself, “Am I really engaged at work?” Being engaged means that you enjoy what you do, and because you enjoy it, you typically will do a better job. Do you know what you are good at and what you enjoy?
[ctt template=”3″ link=”vq764″ via=”yes” ]Are you engaged at work? Why not?[/ctt]
Don’t ask others what you are good at; truly think about the answer yourself. Define your dream job according to your own values. Does this job fit with your priorities and talents? Do you get the recognition, respect, autonomy, growth, and healthy relationships you need at work? If not, then you may be disengaged, which explains why something you love doesn’t work as well as it should.
Challenge yourself professionally. Are you on autopilot at work?
“Flow is when the state of mind is when one can be completely focused and thoroughly enjoy the task at hand.” Do you ever get to flow at work? Do you look forward to going to work because you know you’ll be in the state of flow most of the day? Do you look forward to doing all the things on your to-do list? Is your work challenging enough so you need to think about it (so you’re not on autopilot), yet easy enough that you know you’re doing a great job? The optimal state is for the challenge to be just right. Not too easy, and not too hard.
When was the last time you truly challenged yourself?
Challenge yourself every day to learn at least one new thing. Challenge yourself to do better and be better. Volunteer to do something that you’ve never done. Take a class. Get your CAP, then your OM, and your TA, and your PM. Don’t allow yourself to think you are too old, or that learning something new won’t make a difference to your job. Do it for you and not for anyone or anything else. Just because you can!
I‘ve been doing a lot of work teaching Project Management. At first, I wasn’t sure how I would deliver Project Management because I am self-taught. Then I took a class to ensure I was teaching the right things and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I knew a lot more than I realized I did. Now I speak at Project Management Association events and I am comfortable knowing that I know what I am doing (and I’m loving it).
I had become a little too comfortable in my world. I love it, it makes me feel good, and I’m good at it. But challenging myself with the topics I teach, where I teach them, and how I teach things made me even more in love with what I do.. It was a challenge that has given me a little spark back.
Being a mentor is another way to get your passion back. Community is very important to engagement. That is why so many of my professional friends love their jobs. They are heavily involved in their respective associations, and they help others every step of the way.
I am thrilled at the engagement I find on the admin discussion boards. Someone will ask a question, and several others are happy to answer it. There are great articles, tips, and ideas shared every day. By just participating in the discussion boards you can be a mentor (and get mentoring, should you need it). The more you give, the more you get back.
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Being a mentor forces you to think differently and it challenges you. Both of those things are necessary to help you get your passion back.
Ninety-nine per cent of the time I love my job. I love what I do, and I love doing it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard work; it does mean that I’m glad that it is my work. Some days are harder and some are easier. When I find my passion slipping, I reflect back to see why and make adjustments.
Don’t wait until your health is affected to find the passion in your job. Don’t wait until you are so lost you can’t find your way home. Remind yourself of what you love, and why you do what you do.
