When you hate Mondays, when the week days never end, when you’re irritated at everything and everyone at work, do you ever wonder what it would be like to really love your job?
For some, you don’t have to wonder. You know what it’s like because you live, and love, your job everyday – well, most days anyway. Count your many blessings, because you’re one of the lucky ones. The Conference Board’s 2009 annual job satisfaction survey found that only 45 percent of respondents were satisfied with their jobs, the lowest in nearly two decades. For others, maybe you don’t love your job now. But maybe, once upon a time, you did. Or maybe, loving the job just seems like a dream to you. Work is just that, work.
Loving the job doesn’t have to be a pipe dream or a distant memory. It can be a reality. And, since you spend so much time at work, you should love what you do. So, what would it really look if you loved your job again – or for the first time?
Loving the job looks like passion.
Loving the job looks like enthusiasm and excitement. It looks like drive and ambition. It makes you want to do more, be more, and know more. When you love your job, you’re inspired and that can be inspiring for your employees.
Passion is contagious. So, by loving your job, you could transform your entire company. Just imagine what a group of engaged and motivated individuals could do for productivity and job satisfaction. Just imagine what loving your job could do for your life and your happiness. It would certainly change the way your employees see you. And, it could even change the way clients view you. Loving your job could change everything.
Loving the job looks like a job well done.
Passion often translates to excellence. When you’re passionate about something, you want to be good at it. So, you work at it until you are. Loving the job looks like dedication and often results in quality. It can help push you to become an expert in your field – someone others rely on for advice and tips. It gives you pride in the work you do. And, a job well done can be distinctive. It can set you apart from other employees, other bosses, and other companies.
Loving the job means it doesn’t actually look like a job at all.
Loving your job makes work fun. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has their bad days. But, when you love your job, the Monday morning blues become more of an occasional occurrence than the standard. You like work, so you want to be there. It makes even the tedious tasks a little more enjoyable. And, when you’re happy, it can help make everyone around you happy too.
So, how do you get there? How do you get back to loving your job ?
Start small. Think of something about your job you enjoy and find ways to integrate it more into your day. If you used to enjoy spending time talking with customers, but now spend your days behind the desk dealing with financial charts or HR issues, look for ways to add more customer service back into your job. Even if it’s only a small part of your day, it could make a big difference.
Can’t find even the smallest thing to enjoy about your job? Pick up a hobby you love and concentrate on it when you’re outside of work. Could it be something you use in your career later on? Either way, it could help relieve some tension at work and give you something to look forward to at the end of the day. You don’t have to be trapped in a job you don’t love and as the job market improves, you never know what that hobby could turn into.
Share the Love
As you look for things you love about your job, remember to share the love too. Help your employees develop a love for their jobs. Find out what they enjoy doing and look for ways to integrate those tasks into their day. Because loving the job really could change everything for everyone.
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