How Loving What You Do Can Transform Your Whole Life
Our lives are so incredibly short, which is why you need to maximize your impact, time, and resources to live your best life. This is also part of the reason why people are so eager to uncover their life purpose and do work they truly love.
Ask yourself: If you were not paid a salary, what would you choose to do every day?
The Washington Post reported an article that stated: '13% of people worldwide like going to work'.
That said, the United States and Canada did have the highest levels of engagement in the world at 29% with Australia and New Zealand a close second at 24%.
For those who have trouble determining exactly what work they truly love; it can keep one awake for hours on end, searching for answers from mentors, books, conferences and mastermind programs or moving into various industries in order to find that one role or opportunity that blows your mind and uses that one special talent you possess.
At some point in time, we have had that one job or perhaps several jobs that have effectively killed every ounce of energy in our body and left us in a bad mood week after week with our anger and frustration soaring to an all-time high.
What It Feels Like To Love What You Do
I should well know having experienced both ends of the spectrum. In the last few years, not only have I become a vastly different person, I have also learned the magic that comes from loving what you do from directing my movie, designing and delivering training programs, coaching entrepreneurs, writing songs and articles.
Those like myself who have been fortunate enough to experience it, can tell exactly what happens.
You:
Feel a sense of urgency to do everything today
Know your life has significant meaning
Feel your heart racing a million miles an hour
Become totally obsessed as though you could work for hours, days and weeks on end
Are highly energized
Exude happiness that can be felt from miles away
Creativity and ideas keep you awake at night
Dreams move to brand new heights
Love for life is indescribable
Become a magnet for incredible opportunities, people and places
5 Major Tell-Tale Signs
Here are the tell-tale signs between those doing what they love compared with those who are watching the seconds go by.
1. Time Flies By vs Time Stands Still
Those who are highly engaged in the task at hand, do not notice the time for they are living in the present moment.
Those who are disengaged, watch the clock like a hawk which serves to make it a longer day and drains their energy at the same time. They wait for the hours to disappear so they can go home only to wake up and repeat the same mundane, tiring process.
2. Focused vs Distracted
Those who love what they do are laser focused on the task at hand. They pay attention to what is going on around them, they want to make improvements, create solutions, share ideas and collaborate with their team members.
Conversely, a disengaged person spends every waking moment thinking of how many things they can distract themselves with to get through another day. From completion of meaningless tasks, coffee meetings, social media, talking to people, making personal calls, arriving late to work, and taking long lunches.
3. Highly Energized vs Falling Asleep
When you love what you do, you have so much energy people want you to bottle it to give them some. This is no joke - I have been asked to do this.
When you enter a room, everyone knows you are there, they can feel your positive energy as you walk in the room. Your energy effectively lifts the team and enhances performance.
When you despise your daily job, you end up feeling lifeless and miserable. As a result, you miss opportunities and promotions and reach a point where you feel invisible, like a number in the office that no-one cares about.
4. Attention To Detail vs Careless
Loving what you do means you not only think big and have a grand vision for your life, it also means that you pay attention to the details.
Paying attention to details means you are focused on what you are doing and ensuring that tasks are done efficiently and effectively as possible along with measuring the achievement of short and long-term goals.
A bored person on the other hand, will be careless with their work. It will be highly evident and may impact others areas of life from their appearance, finances, relationships and health. It is like living life asleep at the wheel because you are so uninterested and could not care less about the work you do.
5. Opportunities vs Lack
When you are loving life and living it to the full, new opportunities arise.
However, when you are dispirited and angry at the world, fear surrounds you and you adopt a scarcity mindset where you believe that there is never enough of anything in the world. Fear and anger serve to create more of the same, negative experiences and tough times.
Finding what you love to do may elude you if you give up on your dreams, live in fear and possess a scarcity mindset or simply cannot be bothered to take the time to find out what you truly desire.
When you love what you do, the world is your oyster. A positive mind, a loving heart and engagement in your work creates fulfillment and meaning. Take the time to discover what you truly desire, it is worth the fight.