What Makes Us Passionate About What We Do?

We've all seen them before: those people that make negative comments about their job duties, play around on the internet when they should be working, ignore phone messages and approach every aspect of their work with a "when I get to it" mentality. Obviously, we think these people are simply not enthusiastic or passionate about what they are doing and need to find something that is a better fit for them.

It isn't that simple, however. There are days that I have under-preformed or just wanted to be somewhere else, quite frankly. It is next to impossible to be 100% focused on your work 100% of the time. That being said, there is also the realization that your job should give you some sort of satisfaction. If each day, you enter into it just wanting it to be over, an assessment needs to be made to judge your passion for what you are doing.

So, where is the balance? What is a healthy level of passion to have for what you are doing?

How Much Do You Care About What You Do?

No one wants to flub their way through years and years at a position that doesn't provide some sense of satisfaction or productivity. The significance behind caring about what we do is a large component when evaluating your passion for your work. If your goal each day is to make it to 5:00 without much thought as to how you are going to be productive, how you are going to improve the company or what you can do to professionally better yourself, then you are most likely not in the correct position.

I can tell you from experience that you will know when what you are doing is just not the right fit. That gut feeling you have to get off on a random exit while on your commute into work is more than just a moment of spontaneity. It is your inner-self letting you know that you are not happy at what you are doing.

Don't Make it About the Money

We all know the old clichés about money not buying love, happiness, blah, blah, blah... It might not buy world peace but it buys our groceries and gas. Every professional out there wants their own piece of the pie. Wouldn't it be lovely if we could all spend our work days recycling or volunteering for a Boys and Girls Club or something equally rewarding. Those jobs make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside, yet they yield little (or no) income. Ask most people why they work and they will tell you - point blank - the money. At the same time, we need to get the warm and fuzzy feeling out of what we do and therein lies the reason I say not to make it solely about the money. Don't take a position because of the money if you know you'll completely detest it. The goal here is to find a balance between the money you make and the satisfaction you are feeling concerning your work environment.

Evaluate Your Performance Regularly

Your performance on the job is a huge indicator of your happiness at it. Why do you think executives conduct regularly scheduled reviews of employees? If you are cranking out some top notch work and continuously getting praised and rewarded, odds are you are happy at what you are doing and that makes you great at it. By evaluating regularly, you will be able to assess any change in your performance; for example, if the first quarter of the year, you performed at a high level but the second, you were a little lackluster, you should begin to evaluate if you are becoming burned out or less enthusiastic about what you are doing. All too often, people become bored or restless and just need a change. Sometimes, this can be done by altering your job description to include some new responsibilities and doesn't require a complete career switch. The key is to catch it early.

Overall, we all want to feel good about what we do and make decent money doing it. Success is measured through the work you put out and the value you put on yourself as an employee. If you are proud of your company, proud of the work you do and enthusiastic about your professional position, it will reflect in your work and your superiors will take note. If you are the one tempted by the random exit ramp, well, your superiors most likely know that, too. My advice from this respect is to really consider what it is that makes you happy in your downtime and the strong talents you possess. See if there is a way you can incorporate these things into a new career that you will be more passionate about.