We crave passion. Unfortunately, it seems like it’s becoming harder to come by. People are suffering from burnout more than ever before and it’s lowering their happiness, productivity, and vitality. Here are seven things you can do right now to gain more passion in your work and your life.
1. Find Your Purpose
This is the number one reason why people lose passion. We are driven by our mission, vision, and values. Purposeless people are passionless people. A lack of purpose creates a huge drop in motivation and inspiration at work. If you don’t know why you’re working or what you’re working toward, why would you be passionate about it? However, this also goes beyond your job. Ask yourself what your reason for being is. What’s your calling? What’s important to you? Why is it important?
When you have those answers, try to connect them to everything you do. What parts of your work connect to them? If your work doesn’t, what action can you take to connect yourself to your purpose? Could you volunteer somewhere? Could you join a club? Could you start a hobby? If you connect to your passion, you will be passionate. It’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. We all do it. The people who get back on track and realign themselves with their purpose are the ones who rediscover their passion.
2. What are Your Values?
Along with your purpose, it’s also imperative to know your values. You won’t have passion in your work if you are performing a job that goes against what you value. You need alignment between the two. If that’s not the case, you must start advocating within your organization and work to change it to better align with your values. For example, if your company focuses solely on profit, work to develop a proper noble cause that displays what your company contributes to the world. If this is impossible, you may have to consider searching for a new job that does align with your values. While many people take jobs out of obligation or need, the human spirit needs to be fully actualized. This can’t happen if your values don’t align with your work.
3. Take Care of Yourself
We all lead very busy lives. So busy in fact, that we sometimes neglect to take proper care of ourselves. Our own health and well-being are essential for passion. Here are five things you should focus on to take to maintain optimal health and vitality:
·Getting enough sleep - The length varies depending on the individual, but the average person should aim to get at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.
Exercise – Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. It doesn’t always have to be intense either. Even just walking for thirty minutes does the trick. Move your body in some form every day and reap the rewards of an endorphin rush and better health!
Nutrition – Eating well supports brain function, weight management, immunity boosting, and overall health throughout your body. Have you ever had afternoons where you’re sluggish and unproductive? You probably didn’t eat a nutritious lunch and payed the price. At the very least, try adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet and lessening the amount of sugar and processed food you consume. Your body will thank you and your mind will be clearer.
Novelty – Have some fun. Try something new. Have hobbies. If every day is the same and lacks novelty or inspiration, we lose joy and vitality. Make sure to spice up your life now and again and do something you love.
Mindfulness – Understand yourself and your triggers. Be self-aware and connected to your highest self. Try meditation or prayer. The mind has a massive effect on our health. Practice mindfulness to use that to your advantage.
4. Eliminate Stressors
We live in a world where we can encounter thousands of stressors every day. Global and social media allow us to be constantly connected with the entire world. The downside to this is that it also exposes us to problems all around the globe, many of which we have absolutely no control over. This exposure puts us in a state of hyper stress navigation, which can increase the chances of burnout and lower passion. Lowering the amount of daily stressors that you encounter can go a long way towards reinvigorating yourself and your passion. Whether it be turning off a social media app or spending less time reading the news, every little thing helps. You don’t have to eliminate all of them at once but do start being conscious of little things that cause you stress and start gradually lessening the time spent on them. You may find it’s more of a habit than something you actually want or enjoy doing.
5. Take Time to Recover
There is such a thing as working too much. Your body and mind always give out eventually. Be mindful of scheduling time to recover. Take breaks. Go on vacation. Shut down technology for a chunk of time. Don’t check your email late at night or on weekends. Find a long, windy path and take a walk. Spend time with your family. Whatever works for you. You’ll feel refreshed and invigorated afterwards and inspired in your work and life once again.
6. Be Present
There are distractions everywhere. As much as we all would like to be able to multitask, it is an impossibility. We can’t do two things at once. You can’t be passionate if you’re not present and in the moment. Attention spans have gotten shorter but like anything else, can be improved. Practice eliminating distractions and focusing on one thing for a period of time. You’ll find that you invest much more in things you are present with. As an added bonus, greater focus leads to higher productivity, so you can be both passionate and effective.
7. Set Clear Boundaries
You shouldn’t be working every minute of your life, nor should you be expected to. Have clear boundaries for when you’re off the clock. Whether you don’t want to work weekends, or evenings, or mornings, if you’re someone who gets work done, your boss or manager should have little issue granting this request. You know yourself best and when you’re most effective. Working with freedom and control over yourself breeds passion.
Passion takes work to reclaim. It takes effort. Follow these keys and your joy and vitality will grow exponentially. Take the necessary action and leave burnout behind.
If you want to learn more about reclaiming your vitality at work and operating at your highest level of effectiveness, regardless of the obstacles in your way, check out our Free Response Agility Workshop.