Are you passionate about your job? Do you get excited every morning about going to work? No matter what you do for a living there are a few simple things you can do to work with passion and have fun at work.
When I was a small kid, I would watch my stepdad go to work everyday and come home exhausted. He'd walk in the door and have nothing left, no happiness nor joy.
Every day, he had to wake up in the morning to fight through traffic jams and get to the office.There, he had to take on everyone's problems, and absorb all of the stress.
I remember thinking, 'will this be my life too?' Going to school every day was already a chore! Will adult life be even worse?
There was a moment in my life when I decided that no, my life would not be a chore.That no matter what I was doing, I would make it fun.The decision was simple.
I said to myself "Right, today I'm not going to 'work,' I'm going to play." I went to university, and felt like I was playing all day.When I opened my text books, when I talked to my professors, I was playing. Learning was a game, not a chore. Suddenly, everything was much easier, all because of this change in attitude.
My first job was an independent job because I opened my own company. I also decided that I would be playing. I didn't wake up every day at 6 a.m. because most of my clients were coaching clients, so I didn't need to. I could wake up at 9 a.m. and I still had time for my first clients. It took me a while though to really stop thinking about my work from a position of a 'duty' and 'earning a living' and find a system for myself to reconnect with my passion in daily activities.
So how do you apply this to your work?
Secret 1: Have the right mindset.
When I was thinking from the mindset of playing, it took away all the hardship of working.When you go to play, you take on the mindset of a freshman, or a child. You are open, you are spontaneous, you are creative. Ask yourself:
How are you going to play instead of going to work?
How would this change your life if you did?
How will it feel, when from now on you treat everyday like a game? When you start to work, you also start to play.
Secret 2: Rename the duties you dislike.
There are always going to be things that aren't fun, like paying the bills or dealing with your crazy neighbors.Changing mindset here can make it more fun too.Instead of 'doing the accounts' or 'paying the bills' call it something fun like 'feeding the monkeys.' This will help you keep the playing attitude no matter what you do.Your colleagues will see the new passion you find in what you do, and your new attitude will catch on.
Secret 3: Change your attitude.
For those duties that are still not fun, you can also have the attitude that you're just preparing to play.When children play, sometimes they have to carry something very heavy or they have to go up the hill to be able to slide down. Even if one particular task is not fun, it's within the context of playing and the fun will follow.
It's true that not everything is fun, but it can lead to it.
Secret 4: Stay connected with yourself and what you do
I believe that what you do and who you are is interconnected. When you are working, you are putting your heart and your soul in your work.
If you feel that you have to disconnect from your work, it means there's something about your legacy, about your vision and mission that is not connected with yourself.
You are not going to be satisfied with the results of your work when you are disconnected. You can not disconnect yourself from different areas of your life, because everything is one. Treat everything as a whole.This includes what you eat, who you hang out with, and how you are with your family at home.
You're a grown up now, but this doesn't mean you can't have fun and love your life.When you wake up in the morning, it's you who decides how you will approach your day. Choose to approach it with this attitude of play, and you will work with passion.
Playing everyday is a wonderful life, and soon you'll be as happy as my little son Thomas!