Bright Consultancy

What do you LOVE about your work?

‘They all attain perfection when they find joy in their work’ Bhagavad Gita

Do you enjoy your work? Are you a little bit in love with the work that you do? If not, why not?

I’m very fortunate because I don’t just love what I do, I LOVE what I do. It wasn’t always this way however (and still isn’t always this way – although that’s a different blog post!). I spent a good portion of my life doing the work I thought I was supposed to do. What do I mean by that? Well, work that reflected the time I’d spent studying art history, so that good education wouldn’t be ‘wasted’. Work that people in my life related to, that they could understand. Work that I believed they expected me to do. And, very definitely, work that I expected myself to do. Work that I was capable of doing, work that I was good at, work that displayed some of my talents. Ultimately, work that just didn’t feel right for me, that produced a nagging sensation that I was supposed to be somewhere else, in a different room, with different people, operating in a different role. This tension existed in my working life for many, many years, so if you are reading this and you feel this way – I know how you’re feeling!

Here’s what I know from my experience of working this way, deciding to make changes, and inventing my own work:

1. No matter what you are doing to earn your living, there is joy to be found in work. I enjoyed myself a lot of the time in my previous career. These ‘joy pockets’ were useful pointers to guide me towards career choices that increased my joy.
2. All that expectation stuff was largely self inflicted. It was a story that I told myself that restricted my choices and pinched me off from opportunities. It was a mental game that kept me playing small.
3. Just because I don’t enjoy it, doesn’t mean that no one will enjoy it. I use to martyr myself to the parts of my job that I didn’t enjoy. This was a great way to feel simultaneously frustrated and self righteous! When I stepped away from the tasks that I found disagreeable, other people could do them. These strange individuals seemed to enjoy the work I found distasteful. Meaning that it was silly for me to make myself do those things for such a long time.
4. As you learn more about yourself, you are able to make better choices that increase your happiness. It’s a great professional goal to aim to up your ‘joy percentage’ on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. The easiest way to do this is to discover your strengths, and work to them exclusively.
5. The world will conspire with you to help you do the work you love. It is possible, and even easy, to find or create satisfying work that will bring you joy.

I wish you joy in your work!

Tags: career change, career development, career development coach, change at work, Dealing with Change, decision making, Leadership Skills, Love your work, motivation to work