Since some of the earliest writings from the world’s most prolific thought leaders the notion of doing what you love (seeking a career that fills you with passion) has been discussed at length. But with current research showing how many people are disengaged, dissatisfied, and frustrated at work, we wondered is it possible to flip the words—is it possible to simply love what you do—your current job?

Q        U        I        C        K:

ARE   YOU   LOVING   WHAT   YOU   ARE   DOING 

RIGHT  HERE

RIGHT  NOW

ON  APRIL 11, 2018.          .          .?

Finding a job you love is age-old advice. Confucius probably has the best longstanding quote about “do what you love.” His words, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” have been repeated throughout history. Or consider Warren Buffett’s words, “Take a job that you love.” And let’s not forget the prolific thoughts of Maya Angelou who said “…pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”

Does anyone advocate the opposite approach—telling people to love what they do? We did not have to look far to find the advice of Steve Jobs who said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

Image courtesy of shutterstock.com

Are we typical of most workers? Science actually gives us some insight.

The “find a job you love” advice listed above is easy to buy into for those who love their jobs. But for those who still don’t love their work, should they quit their current job and chase the dream of the job they would love? Or can people learn to find meaning and success in their current job? The answer is ‘yes.’ And here’s why.

Research shows that great work (award-winning work) is produced when people focus on doing something others love. The Great Work Study showed that 88% of projects that earned awards began with an employee asking their own version of the question, “What difference could I make that other people would love?”

LOVE YOUR WORK:  IT’S ALL ABOUT THEM, NOT YOU

The same study, a combined effort between O.C.Tanner Institute and Forbes Insights, found that all caps of work being studied shared a single intention–the work was focused on making a difference that someone else would love, instead of the person performing the work.  They were focused on the recipient  of their work–their customer, their colleague who depends on them, their leader who trusts in them, the community who expects their support, or others who benefit from their work.      .       .

SO HERE IS THE BOTTOM LINE:

Loving your job is one thing–the activities and responsibilities you have on a day to day basis.  But loving the impact of your job has on someone else is another .  If you don’t totally hate your job but find you’re not that happy with what you are doing, try this one little simple thing: GO AND SEE YOUR WORK BEING RECEIVED!  See how it impacts someone else, another co-worker, a client, another team, or whoever benefits from your work.          .          .follow the ripple; SEE WHAT SHORES THEY LAP UPON.          .          .

Kahlil Gibran wrote:

Work is love made visible.  And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the Temple and take alms of those who work with joy.          .          .”

Kind of makes

Burning the Candle at both ends and in the middle

take another a whole different perspective

ESPECIALLY  WHEN  YOU  KNOW

THE   SOURCE

THE  HOME

of the where the

WAX  AND  WICK

a b i d e.          .          .

Now.          .          .

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s       h       a       r       i       n       g

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