Do you love what you do?
Wouldn’t it be awesome to answer yes to that question for every significant role you fill in life? In your job? Your volunteer roles? Other life responsibilities?
*Cue hysterical laughter*
If you’re like me, it sounds impossible to love everything you find yourself required to do. Because sometimes you find yourself working in a job or volunteer position that you did not choose out of passion. Sometimes life dumps responsibilities in your lap that you did not choose and would rather do without.
That’s life.
- Sometimes you find yourself working in the family business simply because you’re family.
- Sometimes you volunteer for something because no one else was willing to step up.
- Sometimes you get involved in a career or ministry because you were following the footsteps of someone you admire—only to realize that your passions and calling are different.
- Sometimes life happens and you find yourself responsible for a person or situation you never bargained on.
Life is full of situations where you don’t love what you are expected to do.
In some cases, you may find that the best thing you can do is quit, but often that is not an option. So then what? Do you accept that life sucks and soldier on? Or can you find ways to reconcile the differences between your passions and responsibilities?
If you find yourself stuck in responsibilities you don’t love, maybe you need to adopt this mantra:
If you can’t get out of it, find a way to get behind it
Regardless of whether the situation is a result of your own choices or was forced on you by circumstances outside your control, you still have control over your attitude.
How to improve your attitude when you find yourself stuck in a responsibility you don’t love:
- Focus on the benefit. Remind yourself how the job is making a positive contribution to your family or society. Feel good about the fact you are making a positive difference. Focus on those moments, not the yucky ones.
- Redefine your Why. Look for meaningful ways to change how you approach the work that will enhance its connection to your life goals. Instead of considering a job as worthless drudgery, can you redefine it in your head as an important learning opportunity or a critical but unavoidable stepping stone that will take you where you want to go? This helps you focus on what you are getting out of it, rather than what it is taking out of you.
- Tweak the job description. Can you adapt the role or its responsibilities to make the job more personally interesting or fulfilling? You may be surprised at what your boss will agree to if you pitch a well-designed proposal to make changes to your job goals or description. Why not give it a try?
- Don’t rely on someone else’s passion. You are a unique individual, with a unique set of passions and life values. Which means that you cannot borrow someone else’s reason for loving what you do. You need to find your own. It doesn’t matter how much you admire someone, you cannot live on borrowed motivations or beliefs. Maybe you became a teacher because your mother or grandmother inspired you. Fine. But you must find your own reasons for loving the teaching profession. Otherwise you will always be frustrated and unfulfilled.
Bottom Line: We all face responsibilities we don’t naturally enjoy. If we’re living intentionally, we will find our own reasons to get behind those roles and give them our best efforts.
