Ten Tips to Add Passion and Purpose to your work

Situation

You may have found yourself needing a little help in bringing the passion back into your work.You might be ready for a little inspiration to get you through the rest of year, a core focus if you like. You might need an incentive to remember why you work so hard making all of those deadlines.

Response

We all need some inspiration at times to bring back the passion and purpose of our jobs. Here are sure-fire steps that you can use any time of the year to raise your spirits and lighten your load.

1. No daring – no growth.

If you become bored easily, it could be that you have not been challenging yourself. Follow your heart and select a project that ignites your passion and purpose but also scares you a little bit; this will be a project that you will grow into and that will stretch you a bit. Be willing to be uncomfortable enough to go just a bit beyond what you think you can do. You’ll be thrilled at your success.

2. Don’t be afraid of what’s different or unknown to you.

If you find yourself in a rut or without passion, you may not be trying new things. Something as inconsequential as ordering a new dish at a favorite restaurant will give your life a spark. Try a new product, visit a strange place, or befriend someone who is far from your age, occupation, or religion. At work, take a fellow employee to lunch that you’ve never met. Strike up a conversation with a client you don’t know very well. Try a new method of working, or attend a new conference.

3. Let other people play.

Are you tired of doing a particular task? Delegate your tired task to an employee who would love to learn the new skill. Now you will have another person who is cross-trained on that task and can pitch in to relieve you any time.

4. Look at things from a fresh perspective.

You will always gain a new idea or point of view when you can put yourself in your customer’s or employee’s (or someone else’s) shoes. Think about what the situation is like for them. In a customer service setting, this tip is probably one of the best things you can do to improve service. It will allow you to solve a problem in a more creative way.

For example, right now I am having a problem with the hardware on my laptop. The laptop is unusable. The customer support technician thinks that the memory chip is bad. He could have just sent me a new memory board. But he is going the extra mile: rather than just sending a new memory card, the technician has ordered several parts, just in case there is another or different problem, which will save me potentially several days of downtime and several service trips. By putting himself in my shoes and solving the problem the way he would have liked it solved for himself, the technician has gone the extra mile.

5. Praise generously.

Find something awesome about every person you meet, and tell them about it. Warm up your praises by practicing on the coffee shop barista and dry cleaners attendant in the morning. When you get to work, be ready to compliment your employees, your boss, and your peers. Give gratitude to the waiter at lunch time, and continue the day by sharing a kind word with your customers, even the ones who might not be your favorites. You’ll not only light up your day; you’ll light up everyone around you. The passion will be flowing.

6. Be flexible and take things in stride.

When situations feel difficult, it can feel overwhelming at the time. To diffuse the tension, think of how you will feel a week later. Is it really that important in the grand scheme of your life? When a crisis comes my way, my friends know I will always say, “As long as no one has died, it’s not too bad of a problem.” Everyone smiles or laughs, and we’re on our way back to passion and having fun in the workplace.

7. Self-confidence matters.

Dress the part. Act the part. Look the part. Feel the part. You’ll feel better for it.

8. Power up your perseverance.

Some things in life just take more determination than you ever thought possible. If you’re doing 50 situps without the result you want, it may just mean you need to do 75 or 100. When I come to this realization, I steel myself and say, “OK I can do this.” And I do.

9. Manage your emotions.

You choose to be happy or sad every minute of every day; you’re in charge. You can choose to spend the rest of your life grumpy or ecstatic; it’s up to you and the attitude you create for yourself. We’ve learned from scientists just in the past few years that our brains, and therefore our personality traits, are changeable. Even if you are a “negative” person, you can turn that trait around to neutral or positive if you work hard enough.

Create and manage your emotions in the way that they work best for you. For me, I choose to laugh a lot, even in the face of adversity.

10. Say what’s on your mind.

Upsets can occur as often when something isn’t said as when it is said. Don’t let an issue simmer below the surface and create a bad feeling that lingers. Clear the air by being brave enough to have the tough conversation. It might be the conversation between you and your boss on why someone else got promoted before you did. Perhaps it’s the conversation between you and your teenager about a boundary that was violated. Or it could be some old stuff between you and your partner that you need to let go of.

If there is something you need to get off of your mind that has been simmering below the surface and crushing you passion, then take a deep breath, say it, and get the passion flowing again.

Try these ten tips one at a time – perhaps one a week -- in your workplace or your life, and see if your purpose and passion return with a renewed delight.