Saying “I love my job!” almost seems like a myth. How could anyone love their work? And why don’t you love yours?
Here are 3 hurdles you need to overcome in order to find work you love:
Hurdle #1: You don’t really believe it’s possible to love your job.
Raise your hand if you think those people who say “I love my job!” are a bunch of liars. I’m here to tell you they’re not.
I love my job. I don’t love every aspect of my job, but I genuinely love the work that I do with GenTwenty.
One of the first steps to making anything happen is to believe that it’s possible. You have to believe it exists, and you have to believe that you deserve to have it.
I once had a standard office job where time was wasted, I wasn’t being challenged, and no one said anything about loving the work day. I immediately knew that’s not what I wanted my life to look like.
Here’s a secret: Most people don’t believe they can love their work. They don’t believe it’s even possible.
Don’t be one of them.
Go look at yourself in the mirror and practice saying, “I love my job.” Do it over and over again until you believe yourself.
Hurdle #2: You haven’t figured out what you want to get out of your work.
It’s like going into a store expecting to find the perfect dress without having any idea what you’re really looking for. Everything is too big, too small, too low-cut, too short, too frumpy… we have to know what (or at least have a general idea) it is that we are looking for.
Your most successful shopping trips are the ones where you know exactly what you’re looking for and you don’t settle until you find it. You might score on the first trip or it might take a few days of browsing, but it’s more satisfying when you find the outfit you’ve been imagining instead of settling for something that’s “good enough.”
Ask yourself, what is it that you want from you work? Do you want to make a nice income? Do you want to give back to the community? Do you want to solve complex problems? Do you want recognition? Do you want to help people face-to-face?
Once you can articulate what it specifically is you want to get out of your job, you’ll begin narrowing down fields and industries that suit your purpose.
You’ll be able to figure out where your talents and skills cross paths with your work purpose.
And then will you start to love the work that you do.
Hurdle #3: You aren’t making the right effort.
I grew up with a mom who loved the work that she did and a dad who was an entrepreneur. They taught me that in order for you to love the work that you do, you need to be engaged in it. I saw them work hard, I saw them struggle, but I never once heard them complain.
When you love what you do, complaining isn’t even on your radar.
Truth be told, loving your job is hard work. Complaining and settling are nothing but the easy way out.
One crucial effort you need to make is to take focus away from the negatives. Turning missteps into mountains disrupts the positive momentum you need to find work that you love.
Put your valuable time and energy into creating positive change. Put it into learning. Put it into figuring out your purpose. Put it into believing that you can love your job.
People who say, “I love my job!” Didn’t stumble into it. They believe it exists, they understand their purpose, and they make a positive effort day in and day out to love the work they do.
We want you to be one of them.
Written by: Nicole Booz