Have you ever been so excited about your day that you woke up early, with enthusiasm to get started? I remember feeling that way regularly as a kid. It seems the older we get, the more rare those days tend to be. Often it takes something out of the ordinary, like a special holiday, a special trip, or a special occasion for us to feel excited about our day.
Have you ever woken up that way thinking about work?
I shared last week that I believe everyone deserves to find fulfilling work that leverages their strengths and interests.
I also believe that work can be fun and enjoyable and if yours isn’t, it’s time for a change! I help people turn their job into joy because I’ve seen first-hand how our homes, workplaces, and communities are transformed when people love what they do.
It’s pretty simple, really. Miserable people who are grumpy about going to a job they hate have a hard time letting the miserable and grumpy go when they get home at night. Joyful people who are happy about going to a job they love have a hard time keeping the joy from seeping into everything they do.
If you don’t enjoy your work (and 70% of American workers don’t!), I want to encourage you because I’ve been there. It’s hard. Most days are a grind of surviving until Friday when you hopefully get a break. If you’re feeling stuck there right now, give yourself one thing to look forward to in the next week. Just having something small, like talking to a friend or getting a special coffee can make a huge difference when you’re struggling.
In order to find work you do enjoy, you need to believe that it’s possible.
Most of us are more than willing to settle for work that doesn’t excite us. We believe that responsible people go to work so they can pay their bills and provide for their families, without any consideration to purpose, which is a shame since that’s what our souls crave. We long for meaning in our work, doing something that matters and that lights us up inside. But we let another day, week, month pass in the name of being responsible.
I’d argue that the most responsible thing you can do, the thing that will have the greatest impact on your life (and everyone around you), is to instead find work you love.
#PositiveAction Search for one job posting where you would actually be excited to wake up and go to work!
My recommended reading on this topic: The incredible book by David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity.
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay