✏ What Does Love Have To Do With It?

First it’s the nerves, then the sweaty palms. The heart rate increases — all because that four-letter word is on the tip of our tongue, and we are finally ready to muster up the courage to say it . . .

LOVE

As in, “I LOVE MY CAREER!” There, you said it. Don’t you feel so much better? It really wasn’t that big of a deal, was it? Here’s the thing: it’s beautiful when a career and a passion come together, and what you spend the majority of time doing each day doesn’t feel like work, but instead a freedom to express your gifts and contribute to the greater good of innovation and growth.

It’s no secret that when you love your job, the results are tangible. The commitment is related to things such as job satisfaction, engagement, innovation, willingness, being a better co-worker and taking initiative are just a few examples. You come into the office ready to attack the next objective, or work with the team to solve problems and reach goals.

To spend your day with like-minded people who also thrive in that environment will inspire you. It’s why you see so many friendships develop in the workplace. We are attracted to commonality, so in this case, positivity finds positivity. There are absolutely real benefits from having good relationships at work.

Another factor that comes into play, which is critical to building our love for what we do, is connectedness. What that refers to is the bond of trust and support we have in our workplace relationships. Whether it be with our leaders, subordinates or peers, the commonalities of our personalities create a connection that is there to help us feel stable during adverse times, and to celebrate when we succeed.

What it all comes down to is culture — do you fit the culture established by the company? When you love your role, the people you work with, the contribution you make, and the impact of the company, a sense of family will emerge, and that relationship is parallel to culture. Imagine it as connecting the dots: respect, engagement, empowerment, passion, commitment, connectedness, involvement and excitement. When these come together, you have discovered your passion, and are on course to live a fulfilled life.

Try completing the sentence:

“I love my job because _________________.”

If you have numerous answers, you are in the right place!

However, let’s swing the pendulum toward the opposite direction – what if you can’t answer that question? What if you struggle because your efforts, contribution and loyalty are no longer fulfilling? From time to time, all of us should perform self-awareness exercises where we evaluate all of the things in our life to ensure we are where we want to be. If your job — for an excessive period of time — has no longer brought you satisfaction, then it may be time to ask yourself the tough questions.

Many will sit and ponder; however, I always refer back to my gut feeling. Look in the mirror and ask yourself, is it me, or is really the job? If it is you, than the first thing you need to do is fix yourself. Rediscover your priorities and work on you. Regardless of your career, it goes back to the old saying, “you can’t pour from an empty cup, you have to take care of yourself first.” Once that process is in place, put pen to paper and invest in researching what your true passion is. The last thing you want to do is take a temporary job; it’s not fair to you or the employer.

A common reason people don’t move a job is because they are scared of change. They have built four walls around themselves and live in a comfort zone because they know the work that accompanies change. Don’t be the person who complains to co-workers every day about your problems at work but does nothing about it — that will only make the situation worse. Now is the time to be brave, courageous, and step out. Embrace the fear, and let your passion guide you.

We all spend too much time in the workplace to not be fulfilled by what we do. If you aren’t happy, put your energy into change and rediscover your passion!

Go do great things today and make a difference.