Keeping your passion and rediscovering your purpose sounds like an unreasonable expectation when it comes to work. However, passion is an essential element of a life and career with purpose. There are four key components for finding purpose, one of which is passion.
The four elements of purpose are:
Many people ask if someone can have just some of these elements and still be successful. The answer is absolutely! Purpose and success are not mutually exclusive, nor is one guaranteed if you have the other. Think of it like a square and a rectangle. All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. In the working world we often find that most people that are working with a deeper purpose are successful. However, not all successful people are working with a deeper purpose.
How can you keep and rekindle your passion? First, remember what it was like on your first day of work. Things were exciting and new. You were continually learning and working to understand your role. In the beginning it is so easy to remember that we are part of something bigger than our selves and to remember what doing a great job means t those that depend on us. Over time we become burdened by the day to day minutia. We become to fixated on the things that need constant attention and slowly we lose sight of why we were so passionate and excited in the first place.
The good news is that you can reclaim your passion for your work. To do this, you must first take stock of how your efforts impact others.
Ask yourself this question: When I do exceptional work, how does it impact those that depend on me?
Next, do a simple is/does/means exercise. Take a moment and write down what your role is, usually your job tile. Then write down what someone in your role does. This will be all the tasks, functions, responsibilities, and job description items. Lastly, write down what doing great work means for your coworkers, your clients or members, your family, your industry and your community. Use this exercise to think bigger than those immediately impacted.
When we think about how our small actions impact others much like one domino can impact hundreds of other dominos it gives our actions scale.
The small things we do can have a huge impact on the people we come in contact with. This is not always easy to remember when faced with all the small tasks and nuances. However, if we can step back and remember why we are so invaluable to those around us it can help us remember and rekindle our passion for our work. Good luck keeping your passion and finding your purpose.
If you are feeling burned out and want to find ways to fight it check out this article.