How to Find Passion in Your Job
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Kara Pecknold
Are you in a stage of loving your life so much that you would pay money to live it? If not? What can you do about it? A common question asked is, “I really want to feel that way, but I’m just not passionate about anything. How do I find passion?”
A friend of mine asked me that question a few weeks ago. He has a high paying job and what appears to lead a full and fulfilling life, complete with volunteering and interesting hobbies. But he felt that something was still missing. He was looking for his purpose and genuinely wanted to find his passion. “I like a lot of things, but I don’t have any passions. How can I find passion, Tina?” This is a great question, and one that got me pondering about the topic. This article specifically looks at finding passion in your job.
This is part two of my notes from Professor Srikumar Rao‘s google talk, along with my personal thoughts on the topic. You can find part one here: How to Make Profound and Lasting Change.
The Problem
Most of us make the mistake of assuming that our ideal job is out there somewhere, and we have to go out and find it. We tell ourselves that our lives will be great, just as soon as we find it. As a result, we end up defining our ideal job using a widely accepted, but arbitrary, set of parameters. How much the job pays, job title on your business card, type of person our boss is, size of our office, how much we get to travel. We say in our minds, once I can find that, then I can be passionate about my job. Chances are, that job probably doesn’t exist. Assuming that it did exist and we were put into that situation, within a few months, we will probably be back in the same state we are now. Unsatisfied.
The Secret to Passion
Passion do not exist in the job, it exists within us. Either we find it in us right where we are, or we will never find it. Only within us, can the passions of our soul shine through. The best place to start igniting that passion, is where you are, right now.
The beautiful thing is that if you ignite passion within you from where you are, the external world has a miraculous and magnificent way of rearranging itself to suit the new person you are becoming.
The Unhappiness Spiral
Every time we are unhappy with what we are doing, or we feel frustrated, angry or disappointed, two things are always true:
- We are concentrating exclusively on the two or three things that are wrong with the job. We ignore the 30 or 40 things that are pretty good about it.
- We are living completely in a Me Centered Universe. We tell ourselves, “Oh, poor me. Poor me. How unfair this situation is.” We start to view our lives as if everything existed as to make things more difficult for us. We focus entirely on how the world affects us. It is impossible to live a truly fulfilled life if we are living exclusively in a Me Centered Universe.
Exercise: How to Find Passion in Your Job
We all have the innate power to transform ourselves and our life situations for the better. Most of the time, it is as simple as a shift in our perspective. The following is an exercise to help us get out of that space consumed with negativity about our present situation. The exercise is tailored to finding passion in your job, but it really applies to every area of life.
- Take a notebook with you at all times.
- Systematically noting down things that are pretty darn good about your job. Things you enjoy. Things you are grateful for. Co-workers you like.
- Take one thing from this list that is important to you and significant to the company. Come up with a simple one month project where you will be increasing that component in your daily life. Example, if you work with a few pleasant customers, then the project could be: how to get more customers like that? Or, how to get our current customers to be like that? Or, how to get more work with those pleasant customers?
- Do something every day to help you accomplish your projects goal. It’s best to do this in the morning as a priority item, but anytime during the day will give you a boost.
- Evaluate your progress at the end of the month. Give yourself more time if you need.
Through actively practicing the exercise above, you will discover that there is an enormous amount that is great about your job and your present situation. The act of noting down the things you like, will take you to a different space. If you continue with points 3-5 consistently, by the end of the year, you will have completed as many as 6 projects that are important to you and are significant to the company.
This exercise forces you change what you focus on, which changes your perspective and outlook. You will find that you are no longer in the job you dreaded, your entire professional life has changed and your ideal job has grown around you. Recognize that you were the creator of that ideal job and the creator for this positive space you are currently living in.
Parting Words
Sometimes, we spend so much of our free time thinking about how much we dislike our current situation that we forget that what we repeat in our heads becomes our reality. The more we repeat that story, the more we reinforce that story. As we reinforce the story, we identify with it and it changes your perspective. What we often do not realize is that these stories we tell ourselves are hurting us. One of the best gifts we can give ourselves is to recognize that we are not our stories, and to becoming aware of when our mind chatter starts telling these stories.
We are never as stuck as we think. We are never as ‘incompetent’ as we think. We are never as insecure as our minds have us believe. Practice being the observer to your mind, thoughts and stories.
What is one aspect of your job or life situation that you are unhappy about? What are some things (name several) you enjoy about your job or life situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. See you there!
So true Tina! We live in a me centered universe. Too bad. Many people fail because they depend on outside forces to make them happy. Happiness comes from the inside.
It bugs me that when people ask you, “What do you do now?” They are really asking what you do for work. Passion DOES come from the inside. It’s sad how many go into a job thinking they’ll love it because it makes big bucks. They’ll eventually hate it and feel empty like you stated.
We define our work. It’s not the other way around. Thanks again Tina. :)
I love the idea of identifying what’s right in your life and asking: “how can I get more of this?” Aim to get more of the good things you already have.
This is total bullshit. You make people feel like it is their fault their job sucks. If your job sucks and you’re unhappy you need to leave that shitznit.
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REPLY
What I’m introducing here is an alternative way of viewing a situation. I can’t make anyone feel anything, only the person can convince themselves that they feel a particular emotion. We have choices, except we forget that. That was the point of this article.
No! What you are introducing here, is a “how to trick yourself into being passionate about work” method. It’s like “I believe therefore I am” or .. how can I get myself to believe my work is great so that it really can be. What ends up happening is you are just deceiving your own self and then end result will probably be worst than before.
As for your reply, “I can’t make anybody feel anything”. People CAN make each other feel certain ways. Let me slap you across the face and see how you feel about that.
Although Nathan was not very diplomatic in expressing his thought, it’s true that what you are suggesting is a way to convince yourself that a bad situation isn’t that bad. I am fortunate to have spend my working life (I am now “retired”) in what I would describe as an occu-passion…and now my son has done the same thing. He discovered his passion (sports photography) at the age of 19, decided that was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life and went after it, even though he made little money in the earlier years. Now he is successful and well know in his profession…and he is having a ball…occu-passions are possible, but take perseverance.
I enjoyed this article. I can’t really add to it. But I think sometimes, acceptance is key. Accept where you are – and make the best of it. Focus your mind on the positive. And realize, life doesn’t always unfold the way we would want to – had we been writing the script. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the heck out of it!
@Bamboo Forest
“Accept where you are – and make the best of it.”
Why would I accept something substandard just because that’s where I am? I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to remain in a shit-hole for the rest of my life. There is only so much you can do to “make the best of it” and after that wears out you’ll still be where you are and chances are you won’t accept it for long.
“Focus your mind on the positive”
What for?
@ Nathan: I agree, that one should improve their circumstances at every opportunity. And if you can change your job for the better, don’t hesitate and do it! My point was only a general one. That there are circumstances in life sometimes, that we may not be able to change. But we can always be in charge of our attitude.
“But we can always be in charge of our attitude.”
Very well said and an important point in all aspects of life.
Cool!
I’m grateful that I’m very passionate in what I do.
Thanks for sharing the tips. :)
“Passion does not exist in the job, it exists within us. Either we find it in us right where we are, or we will never find it.”
You said it, Tina. Passion is within. No job will make us passionate. As a matter of fact, nothing will make us passionate, even in a romantic sense. We are or we aren’t. It must come from within.
Nice post.
Thank you for this inspiring article.. it has been CPP’d!
this is a nice read! i believe that you need to be very passionate about what you are doing, or else you will not be where you wanta be ..
I myself am really trying to do the whole “do everything you do with passion no matter how menial the task”. I find I do a better job and take more pride in the task. I do agree that someone like me who has been doing the same job for 13 years now that finding that spark is tricky but it can be done!
Passion IS within.
Zendad
http://www.zendad.net
Tina, outstanding advice. I’ve been keeping notes on the positive points of my job for a few years now. It has opened my eyes to so many positive opportunities for both me and my employer.
A very important teacher of mine once said to me when I wanted to quit my job: “You can’t leave until you have you boss’s blessing” which at the time was the farthest thing from conceivable reality. The next year was one of the most important trainings I’ve ever received in life and when I finally left, I did indeed do so with his blessing.
I am a firm believe in passion. Just last week I blog about the importance of passion within blogging and everything that we do.
http://blogbuildingu.com/articles/building-blogging-business-part-1
Like your idea about changing focus. Passion can grow if we focus on our core value and intersect it with what we do.
I feel so lucky to get to do what I feel passionate about. And to be able to connect with others as a direct result of expressing that passion is amazing.
I dreamt of being an artist as a child. Now Life feels I’m ready to actually say that I am one, a creative type with something to offer, something to help celebrate creativity and culture.
And I find you, Tina, along the way.
Peace.