HOW TO LOVE YOUR JOB

Do you love what you do? Do you get up every morning and approach your job with passion and excitement? Would you like to have that level of enthusiasm?

I loved Mike's post today and, as usual, I agree 100% with him. His post is about the leader's role and responsibility to help people follow their dreams.

Maggie Mistal's post is also great and addresses how people can and should change what they do to follow their dreams. This post is about how to make the most of the job you have right now.

Yesterday, I had a great day. I had coffee with friend and career coach Maggie Mistal and then dinner with my friend and co-author Mike Policano.

When Maggie and I were together I was asking her questions about exactly how she goes about her career coaching. Instead of just explaining it to me, she used about an hour to demonstrate her skills and approach by helping me to examine where I want to take my business at this point in my career.

She is outstanding! I strongly recommend her as a career coach to anyone. You can get to her blog and website by scrolling down on the right side of this blog.

I have never been a big fan of career coaches. But my discussion with Maggie was great. She knew how to ask probing questions that made me think deeply not only about what I was doing but why I was doing it.

Then I went to dinner with Mike and was telling him all about my discussion with Maggie. He and I got into a discussion about the many people we meet that do not like their job and clearly have no passion for their work.

I was saying that I have always been lucky and loved what I did for a living. This was even true of part time jobs while I was in college. All of a sudden it came to me. You can do what you love. Or, you can love what you do.

So, I agree with Maggie that people should follow their dreams. I also agree with Mike that leaders should help people follow their dreams. But what about making the most of what you have?

Look at the glass as half full. There must be aspects of your job that you like. What are they? Can you do more with that part of your job? Focus on the positives instead of the negatives. Spend more of your time on the parts that you like.

Can you add to what you do or your responsibilities? Can you take on a new initiative or special project within your company that would make your job more rewarding? Has your boss asked you to do something new? Say yes. Give it a try.

Many people that have a secure job right now, believe they can not make a change in this recessionary economy. Instead of feeling trapped, why not use this as an opportunity to reevaluate your position? Sometimes you hear people who were laid off from their position say it was the kick they needed to try something new and it worked out well.

Why not give yourself the kick. Make a decision today to love your job. By the way, employees that are passionate about their job perform better and get more promotions.

So remember, you can do what you love. But you can also love what you do.

Until Next Time,
Gail