Are You Passionate About Your Work?

This may seem a strange question to ask of people working in the non-profit sector where common mythology would have us believe people work in this sector due to their passion. There is a difference between being passionate about a cause and having passion for your work.

If you have no passion for your work you are simply working for wages. This can lead to disillusion and you may eventually become negative about your work. You can eventually become trapped in a vicious cycle of dislike and negative thinking; unable to be fully effective yet unable to find a way to do something different.

Check out your values. What are the things that excite you? What turns you on each morning and drives you out of bed with a spring in your step, raring to go?

Everyone has the option of choosing the work they do. In today's environment the opportunities to create your own work are limitless. By that I don't mean you must run out and start your own business, though that is an option. You might consider looking at areas of need in your organisation that you have an interest in. You might combine paid work with study and volunteer work or with part time self employment.

How can you become passionate about your work? Firstly, follow your heart. What excites you? What dominates your thoughts and conversations? Ask yourself, if you had a choice what would you love to do? Well you do have a choice and you can do what you love. Think outside the square. Today there are countless opportunities for employment. Avoid being corralled by past experience or by qualifications. Instead look to your strengths and ask yourself what you would bring to this new experience?

Shivani Gupta, author, Passion @ Work refer to this as flying like a butterfly; learning to grow beyond your own boundaries and being in charge of your own destiny. This journey begins when you do something different to what you are currently doing and you realise the world hasn't collapsed around you. You create an environment where you can learn and live and be excited.

Change isn't easy. Taking a risk is scary. So don't go it alone. Seek ideas from others. Note I said ideas rather than advice. The majority of people will advise you to stay where you are. Change is just as fearful to those that don't want to change as it is to those making the change. This means you should surround yourself with people who will be positive, will be mentors and will encourage you. People who will feed you with ideas.

Write down your goals. Establish an action plan and time frame. Face your fears and accept that you will always be fearful. Convert negative thoughts to positive alternatives. Remember you will make mistakes. These are not a sign of failure, rather they are a sign that you are experimenting and learning.

Put a little bit of 'me' into your thinking and ask yourself will what I am about to do make me happy. If not then don't do it or change something. Being wealthy is a bonus; it is not the reason for living. You and the people you help are the reason for living.

Let The Journey Continue
John Coxon
Taking You From Frontline Manager to CEO

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