Life Lessons from Loving My Job
I know like everyone, I’m supposed to hate my job and come home complaining about the 9-5 that’s holding me back from living out the dream of working for myself. That’s the trope and I get sticking to the script...but, honestly, it’s not true. I love my job, I love what I do, I love the institution I do it for, I love the (usually) autonomous and supportive environment in which I do it, and I love the immense impact I get to make on the lives of people each day.
I don’t love every day of my job or every single aspect of the job. Sometimes I get frustrated by all the people I have to engage to get things done but I do love it, and I’m grateful to do meaningful work that’s connected to my purpose.
If this isn’t how you feel about your work, I really want to have a talk with you. In a mentoring relationship, we can explore what your values are and how they align with your chosen career path. I’m not trying to over-simplify the challenges you face but I’ve seen really positive results after working with others and I want to see that for you.
Sorry, I got a little sidetracked.
I’ve learned a lot from loving my job and as with many of my life lessons, I want to share them with you.
IT IS POSSIBLE.
I’ve never known anyone who loved their job. Honestly, everyone I’ve ever known hated their work or at least talked like they did. All I’ve ever heard about work is how hard, thankless, and exhausting it is so I thought that’s the way it would be for me too.
But I have to admit that my current position isn’t the first job I’ve loved. I worked at McDonald’s and I loved that, and I worked at Target which I loved. I worked in non-profits, corporate jobs, and across many colleges and universities, many of which I loved. But looking back, I realize that I never expressed my satisfaction or how rewarding I found the responsibilities because I didn’t know I could. What I now know is that you can love your work, and you can express it, giving other people permission to do the same.
LOVING YOUR JOB DOESN’T MAKE IT ANY EASIER.
My job is difficult, and even though I’m good at it, it’s still hard work and that’s annoying. Like in a marriage (and I’m assuming here because I’m not married, but this is what people say of marriage), just because you love something doesn’t mean it’s not hard. In fact, loving my job probably makes it harder because I care about the outcomes.
There is a common saying, “love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” The person to first said that was lying. Loving something doesn’t make it any easier. It only makes your contributions more clear and the results more personal.
LOVE IS NOT THE DESTINATION; IT’S THE BEGINNING.
I’m beginning to feel like I’m giving relationship advice so I’m going to stop soon but I have to say here that love is just the beginning.
Loving something is when the work begins when you really get invested and when your commitment intensifies. Loving your job is the beginning of a journey where you’ll discover more about yourself and your values.
I don’t want you to be fooled into an, “if only I could find a job that I love, then I could relax” dream. Well, I guess I do want you to dream like that because that’s what you deserve but moreover I want you to relax in the thought that “finally my passions and skillset are aligned with meaningful work that has an impact.” Just understand that you have to do the work for the dream to be fully realized.