Do What You Love, But Not All the Time

Do What You Love, But Not All the TimeDo What You Love, But Not All the Time0Why is it not always necessary, or possible, to only do a job you love? Sometimes you need to do jobs that the market demands or perform tasks you dont like. We need to reverse the do what you love fallacy that makes people think that if they arent doing a job they love all the time, they need to find a new line of work. Wheres the dividing line between a job you like well enough and a job you really dont like?There was once a guy who worked for a lawn care company. When asked how he was doing he would say, Work sucks, but I need the bucks.Work doesnt have to suck, and hopefully it doesnt for many of us, but the reality is that sometimes people have jobs, careers, or certain aspects of those jobs or career that they dont especially care to do, or that doesnt provide the satisfaction they seek in their profession. Sometimes we all have to take a job, stay in a job, or pursue a job that fits whats right at the time. And there is nothing wrong with that, says Curt Rosengren, a passion catalyst who helps people love their work and change their world in a way that feels personally meaningful to them.I think the idea that everyone should be doing work they love or theyre making the wrong career decisions is ludicrous, says Rosengren, author of 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work and The Occupational Adventure Guide A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams. Sometimes reality means you need to do the less-than-ideal option. Maybe your unemployment is running out and you just need income. Maybe your dream job wouldnt let you spend the quality time with your young kids youre committed to. Maybe your spouse is ill and youre relying on your jobs insurance for health care.Rosengren continues I think one of the biggest fallacies is that having work you love means all passion, all the time. The reality is there is no perfect job. I cant think of any career that feels like a more perfect fit for me tha n what I do now, but even so there are aspects of my work I really dont like.We all want a job we love, to make an impact, and to feel a sense of personal and professional accomplishment. Most of all, we want to go to a job and a place of work that motivates us each day. But that isnt reality for everyone. Theres a difference between I have to compromise right now because of my current situation, and I just have to suck it up. Work is a four-letter word says Rosengren.The former is a tactical decision based on what is needed in the present moment. The latter is giving up in defeat and letting a combination of present moment challenges and negative thinking define the rest of your career.Difference Between Like Well Enough And Dont Really LikeThere is a fine line, though, between a job you like well enough to keep going to each day and a job you really dont like. What are the warning signs its time to move on? Its affecting your professional life. The days drag on. And on. And on. Yo u dont want to make that additional phone call, send that email, or call in to that conference call. Or, you dont ever put in that extra effort to make sure the job is done right. You know its going to eventually cost the company, and maybe even your job, but you just dont care. Its affecting your personal life. Lets face it, we all gripe about work at some point. But if its leading to schwimmbad habits outside of work (excessive drinking/drug abuse), affecting your family life, or affecting your health, then it is seriously time to consider finding a new job. If you go to bed at night simply dreading the next day, or cant fall asleep because you dread the fact you have to show up to work again, then its time to move on. Youre making excuses. If youre calling in sick when you are not sick, constantly showing up late, taking extended lunch breaks, and/or making excuses to leave early, then its time to consider moving on. Youre displaying bad behavior. If youve been reprimanded at wor k, your colleagues start calling you out or have reported you to your boss or HR for unprofessional behavior, or youre hastily responding to emails- its time to really consider moving on.Job Happiness Factors NOT in Your ControlThere are also other elements of a job outside your control that can affect your ability to truly love the job and be happy, such asA lack of opportunity for promotion.A toxic work environment or bullying boss.A company not investing in new technology or using dated methods to complete work.Layoffs, or constant threat of layoffs, leaving you to question if it makes a difference or not if you perform at a high level.Those are all realistic reasons to dread the current job and seek new opportunities.Time to look for a new job? Check out these eight high-demand flexible jobs that employers need to fill.What If You Cant Leave Your Job?If you cant move on, Rosengren recommends asking yourself this question How can I bring more of what I love into my work?Make it a regular inquiry- and act on it, he says. Keep taking steps in that direction, whether that is within your current job or through a wholesale change, says Rosengren. Over the course of your career, the cumulative impact of asking that question and acting on the answer can be huge.We all have aspects of our jobs that we dread, but dont cause us to seek new opportunities. Once a quarter, a creative director has to drive three hours to sit awake overnight doing press checks during the printing of a magazine a website editor has to attend out-of-state training for a week once a year when he wishes he was home providing the help needed for his disabled daughter a part-time healthcare worker who works evenings dreads the mandatory once-a-month team meeting at 1000 a.m. because it messes with her child-care schedule. These are aspects of a job these people dread, but overall, they still are happy and enjoy the work they do. Nothing is absolutely perfect.Rosengren admits he tells people the re is no perfect job. It doesnt exist, he says. But, If you can find something where you love what youre doing 80% of the time, youre golden. That takes away the feeling that if theres something they dont like, they must be off track.If you are happy most of the time, but not all of the time, you are not alone. And theres absolutely nothing wrong with that.Readers, how do you feel about passion in a job? Do you do what you love some of the time or all of the time? Share your experience with us