I know, I know... people say it, and you hear it all the time. "You should make a career out of what you love doing," and, "If you love what you do, it's not work." There are others, too, encouraging us to live life the way that we want like, "Take a risk," and "Just do it." "Make the change.... Take the leap..."
And then there is reality.
Bills to pay. Kids in sports. A life of responsibility to live. Oh... and the realization that not everyone can be a rock star. Oh, right. That, too. So you push on in the drudgery of everyday average and mundane, grateful for a few days a month that you don't mind your job so much.
But here's the thing. You can love what you're doing a little bit more with the right mindset and, perhaps, a bit of training.
Example: When my mom was in high school she worked for a time as a grocery store cashier. She was bored. The routine of the job was sucking the life out of her. So what did she do? She found ways to create challenges in her days to make things more exciting. At times she tried to see how fast she could ring in those groceries and beat her former record. Other times it was all about the people that she met, learning something new about each customer. She refocused on little things to push her along and help her stay energized and engaged. As a result she found joy in a job that was otherwise dull.
One of the foundations of any course that I teach is a study on personality types. We learn about what makes us tick, about the pros and cons that come naturally with our personality type, and about how we can use that knowledge to function better in our jobs. We also discuss how to interact differently with our colleagues and customers.
You should see the moment when students have an epiphany about why there's been tension in the office, why the boss frustrates a student so insanely, why a person dislikes part of their job, or why we struggle with certain parts of our responsibilities. Faces light up when we consider the last customer we interacted with and realize that things went south because said customer processed information differently than expected, or WE processed information differently than expected. Ok, at times that one causes a cringe! But the point is that the training allows students to re-think their day, the work environment, their job, and their colleagues, and drives them to find joy where they thought there was none.
So if you find yourself with a hanging head today because it's Monday and your'e back at a job you don't love, consider making a change. It MAY be a change of career, or simply a change of heart and a little bit of training. Either way, make SOME kind of change, because life is too short to hate Monday's!
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