8 Ways to Love What You Do
Published on 14th February 2024
Let’s be honest; if we’re passionate about something, be it work, hobbies or even a task, we love doing it. But if we’re not, it becomes a chore and can sometimes lead to resentment. So, question: do you love what you do? Next question: if you don’t, do you want to know how to turn the tide? The next few minutes could make the difference you’re looking for, so keep reading.
Why should we love what we do?
Loving what we do keeps us motivated, happy, energetic and gives us a sense of purpose. It makes us feel that we’ve done something great, which is a huge boost to our mental health. Many different things in our lives excite us that we love to do. It could be learning something new, like a skill or sport. Maybe you’re creative and find pleasure in creating gifts or art. It may even be a simple thing like helping and supporting others that makes you happy.
In our personal lives, we can choose the things we love to do, but at work, it may not be the same. If we worked the average number of hours, which is about 1,820 hours, in our lifetime, nearly 21% of our waking hours is spent at work per year. When combined with the latest research, which shows 37% of the UK’s employees are thinking about changing jobs this year, it highlights the importance of loving what we do at work.
So, whether you were ‘in love’ with your job and the rose-coloured glasses have become dislodged, you’re part of the above statistic and are looking for your next job, you just need some ideas to put the zest back into your working life or want a better work-life balance, here are eight strategies you can employ to love what you do.
How to love what you do
Who wouldn’t want to wake up every day and feel energised, excited, motivated and looking forward to the day ahead? The reality is that many of us don’t feel like that; we feel jaded, tired, disenchanted, and even depressed. This not only negatively affects our mental health, it also impacts our ability to do our jobs, our hobbies and those around us. So, here are eight ways you can love what you do.
1. Be curious and get learning
Everyone has a story to tell, and if you develop a curious mind, you’ll discover a plethora of stories you never knew. Now take that curiousness into history, cultures, places, languages, sports, actually anything, and imagine what you can learn. Every time you learn something new, you’ll feel elated with what you’ve achieved.
2. Discover and interact with your support network
No one is an island; we all need a support network. Once you accept that, it’s time to discover your most trusted confidants, friendly and helpful advisors, and the ‘shoulders to lean on’ during those difficult periods. You may have more than one support network, at work and home, to make the most of shared experiences.
3. Practice mindfulness and gratitude
Are you truly aware of your surroundings – the people, the environment, nature? How many times during the day do you take a few minutes to practise awareness and gratitude? Mindfulness is about becoming more aware of everything around you, and simply being thankful for it. The benefits of practising gratitude grow exponentially. The more grateful you are for your team, your home, your friends and family, even the little things, like the train running on time, the easier it becomes to love what you do.
4. Love and appreciate your team
It’s easy to allow the little niggles, disagreements and annoying habits to lead you to fall ‘out of love’ with your team. But remember, you all have a shared purpose, a united vision and the motivation to succeed. Now’s the time to practise that gratitude you’ve developed and fall back in love with your team members – that includes your suppliers and clients – to work through the challenges and share the success.
5. Give yourself (and others) a pat on the back
We all work harder when we’re appreciated and what we do well is acknowledged. So, never be backward in giving praise – when you love what you do and do what you love, inspiration and courage drive you to make changes and be successful.
6. Work on developing positive habits
When you have an arsenal of positive habits inside and outside of work – whether that’s upskilling and learning new things, spending more time with family/friends, keeping healthy or making time for yourself – you develop a positive mindset, too. This leads to harmony and synergy in your work-life balance, boosting happiness and contentment. Recent research revealed that your work-life balance drives career success rather than money, recognition or autonomy.
7. Create and innovate
We don’t just mean in terms of ideas, proposals or marketing. We also mean by creating teams that work together and enjoy working together. As a collective, collaborative team with a common purpose and goal, you’ll be amazed at what can be achieved.
8. Make a conscious choice
Ultimately, loving what you do is as much down to choice as it is circumstances. Everything in life comes with its ups and downs. When things are down, do you pull up the drawbridge and hide or embrace the situation and focus on changing the narrative? When things are up, it’s easy to share the successes with your network, colleagues, family and friends. But how about sharing the downs, too so you can all support each other? Reframe the challenges and the problems, and choose to take a positive, active approach rather than jumping ship.
There’s no point in making your life a misery by hating what you do. Instead, take the above eight ways to love what you do and make 2024 your best year yet.
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