How to Love What You Do
In some ways, keeping a job is like maintaining a marriage or committed partnership. Both your spouse and your employers have expectations. Both marriage and employment need communication and commitment. In marriage, not everything is a bed of roses and some days are undeniably dull. Similarly, no matter how passionate you are about your work, there are days when your job will fall short of expectations.
While it can be tempting to wander to the greener “other side” when our jobs disappoint us, the truth is that most of the time, we can do certain things to feel better about it. Here are three simple ways to keep your love for your job burning.
Find allies
Studies show that relationships with coworkers play an important role in employees’ job satisfaction and intention to stay. The more solid your relationships with your colleagues are, the greater your sense of belonging. With most of us at Medstar doing field work or remote work, we need to be intentional about building relationships with our coworkers. We can do this by:
Seeking a mentor, asking him/her questions and seeking his/her perspective about what you do.
Inviting colleagues to help you on a project. Alternatively, volunteer to work to help them in their projects.
Appreciating your coworkers’ unique skills and talents.
Find your Fit
There is no perfect job or employer. But as you look at the bigger picture and consider the organization’s purpose and how what you do impacts your customers and stakeholders, you can feel a greater sense of purpose. Do the same exercise with your team’s impact. Know how your team contributes to the company’s overall success and take pride in what you do.
Keep Communication Open
A study of couples whose marriage lasted for 43–67 years showed that a common thread among thriving couples is that they keep communications open. They talk through challenges and listen to the other person’s perspective without judgment. You will also find yourself loving your job more if you don’t bottle up your thoughts. According to this article, we should be open to our managers about our ideas, suggestions, feedback, goals and accomplishments. Likewise, we must be willing to receive feedback and corrections without becoming bitter.
This love month, we wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day! May you shower your loved ones with affection and appreciation and may you find a multitude of reasons to love what we do.
Read more updates about Medstar by downloading our February 2023 Newsletter Issue
