Sometimes you feel trapped at work. It’s even worse when you’re only working for the paycheck. There’s an old saying, “love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” But what happens when you don’t love what you do? Sure, you have bad days at work and dread the feeling of disconnectedness created by your job’s menial tasks. When you get into that career slump, it can be hard to get out.
As soon as you hit a breaking point, you think about polishing up your resume and searching for a new opportunity. However, have you considered whether you’ve done everything possible to still enjoy your current job? After all, starting a new job somewhere else is a little daunting. Let’s examine how you can improve your mindset and get back on track in your current position.
Think about the first day you started. You were probably fired up with excitement. You need to rekindle that flame to ignite your passion for work again. You need to explore every opportunity to stabilize your frustrations in your current position before looking for a new one. Until you learn how to change your mindset now, you’ll end up repeating the pattern at your next job. With that said, take a look at these six ways to re-ignite your passion for work:
1. Depart From Your Old Mind Set
Change your thinking by departing from the negative thoughts filling your mind about your current work life. This requires your willingness to risk losing the predictability of your current life to find a more fulfilling one. The adventure asks you to be uncomfortable at times and let go of the past in order to be open, renewed and refreshed. The journey offers new possibilities and experiences which can rework your thought processes toward a more positive path. It’s time to open a new chapter and start on positive grounds!
One way of doing this is to note all of the highlights throughout your day at work. Whether you start up a conversation about work with your partner or chat over the phone with a friend, talk about all the good things going on. It will focus you on the good and not the bad. Don’t think of it as sweeping the bad moments under the rug. Think of it as placing the positive highlights on a pedestal that outshine the negativity.
2. Take a Break
While departing from your past, it’s crucial to take a break to adjust your engagement levels. Whether that means you take a few personal days or a whole week or two of vacation, you need to give yourself ample time to recharge. Being away from all the repetitive work can give your mind just what it needs to refresh and start over once you return.
As soon as you return to work, set break reminders throughout the day. Studies show that breaks from mental tasks improve creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks can lead to exhaustion and stress. Taking time away from the daily grind will help break up the 9 to 5 routine and help you feel more energized. If you get a lunch break, consider eating outside or going for a walk to recharge.
3. Note Your Skills and Work On Them
While many proclaim to be experts at what they do (and many are), there is always room for improvement. Take inventory of all the skills you have learned over the time you have been with your current company. Set a goal to improve each one every day. This will give you something to look forward to each day and will keep your positivity and productivity flowing.
Ask your supervisor for a performance review and listen carefully to what they have to say. If they can point out areas in which you can improve, ask them for specifics. They could end up sending you to a conference or a workshop on their dime that will only make you better! Plus, a performance review could be grounds for a raise – and who doesn’t like more money?
4. Dig Deep to Find Value
Connect deeper with what you’re already doing to better understand how you’re adding value and meaning to others you work with. Are your actions helping a coworker, improving a relationship with a customer or enhancing the company’s bottom line? This is where you can focus on the small achievements that mean big results. Highlight how you are contributing, no matter how big or small, because these milestones can make you work harder and with more passion.
Additionally, when you keep track of these achievements, you can use them to your advantage when it’s time to meet with your supervisor for your review. Having this information will benefit you because they may not realize all the positive things you’ve been doing.
5. Surround Yourself with Positivity
There are those co-workers who tend to be more negative about work. You may need to surround yourself with more positive people. Befriend the encouragers and ignite your passion by joining in on their upbeat outlook. Negative people are like energy magnets and can absorb all of your positive energy and passion, making you less optimistic. Change who you surround yourself with and you will blossom with passion, drive, and happiness.
In fact, a longitudinal analysis published by researchers from the University of California, titled Dynamic Spread of Happiness, found that people who surround themselves in clusters of happy people are more likely to become happy and increases their probability of happiness by 25%. The researchers concluded that “people’s happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom they are connected. This provides further justification for seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon.”
You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. ~Jim Rohn
6. Break a Sweat
Regular exercise is good for both your physical and mental health. Hitting the gym could be your secret weapon to reignite your passion for work! Research published in the International Workplace Health Management journal proved that exercising during work hours has mental and physical benefits like helping you to be more productive, happier and suffer from less stress.
When you exercise, your body releases feel-good brain chemicals that interact with the neurotransmitters in the brain. That has a positive effect on your mood. Whether you try to squeeze in a workout during lunch or hit the gym immediately after work, you’ll be on your way to better physical and mental health!
How do you keep your passion ignited at work? Which of these ideas will you incorporate into your life this week?
Dr. Suzy Ross
For more on this topic, check out my friend Ben Fanning’s book, The Quit Alternative: The Blueprint for Creating the Job You Love Without Quitting.