How to Love Your Work
Many people view work as a punishment, something that simply has to be endured as a means to an end. According to recent global poll by Gallup, out of the world’s 1 billion full-time workers, only 15% of people are engaged or purposeful at work. This means that an astronomical 85% of people are unhappy in their jobs. When you’re dissatisfied at work, you can feel disengaged from the job at hand and disconnected from your coworkers. You can also feel stuck, as if you’re going nowhere fast. Luckily, if you take the right steps, it doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s how work can be a pleasure, not a chore:
Find meaning within
People who are happy at work find meaning in what they do by identifying their unique gifts and abilities and then using them to help other people. Ask yourself: What are you naturally gifted at? What comes easily to you? What do you enjoy doing most? It might take you some time and thought to identify your unique gifts but, once you’re able to align your passion with your purpose and then put both to good use to help other people, you’ll love what you do and you’ll do what you love!
Serve others
Finding meaning in what you do will always involve some form of service. The Great Work Study showed that the most impactful work is produced when people focus on doing something that other people will love. If you want to experience more joy in what you do, strive to make a difference and serve others at the highest levels. Focus on your customers and your colleagues and make it all about them, not you. As Albert Einstein once said, “Only a life lived in the service of others is worth living.”
Challenge yourself
If you really want to grow and develop, you have to challenge yourself and tackle things that are outside your comfort zone. Like author Jack Canfield once remarked, that’s where all the good stuff is! Engage in CANI – constant and never-ending improvement – with training and coaching. Remember, as the old proverb says, “Don’t just go through life, grow through life.”
Work doesn’t have to be a daily grind – when you take the right steps, it can be fun, meaningful and rewarding too! To learn more, listen to the latest episode of “It’s a Good Life”.
