Pleasure in the Job Puts Perfection in the Work” – Aristotle
Chitra Reddy, in her article on Top 15 Reasons why Passion at Work is Important writes, usually, the terms of passion and work are two parallel things. Your work is what you do to get paid and for a living, whereas passion is something which you practice for pleasure or for the joy you get in doing it.
My original article was to be on intuitive learning. Whilst that may still be a topic I explore, I fell down a rabbit hole of reading and thinking about the importance of following our passion to work. Perhaps working for nearly thirty years now has allowed me that grace. The grace of writing about a topic that is often synonymous with catchwords and clichés. Everyone has said or has heard people talk about the importance of having a passion for what you do, and or passion to work. So what do I have to say that’s remotely new? Well, read on and see.
What’s Your Passion?
There are so many people just like me who got out of high school and went into university or college to find out what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I don’t know if any of us know for sure from that early age what it is we are truly passionate about. Do we even know what real passion is? Depends on how self-aware we are and the exposure to the right people and experiences. There are so many factors that impact what we study in high school. Then consequently, what we then go on to study at college or university. I didn’t have all the answers and certainly not enough bravery to really pursue what I wanted to.
I always loved writing and using my brain to solve mysteries. I’m not sure if I’d say it was a passion at the time, I just know that I enjoyed it more than a lot of the things that I felt I was ‘meant’ to study or pursue. This is a common trait with young people – not knowing what area to go into. They are vulnerable to the pressures and expectations of those who perhaps mean well but ultimately aren’t invested in exploring what the young person’s passion may be. It’s been a while since I’ve been out of high school and I do not have any idea of what exploration is done now to understand what a person is passionate about. I do know that even as a much older person now, it’s something that isn’t easy to explore in myself.
Looking Inwards
I’m not unique in following jobs and opportunities like water running – going where it’s organically going to go with little or no steerage from me. It wasn’t until I was deep into my mid-career that I gave myself the breathing room to think about what I was really passionate about and what it would actually take to pursue that. It’s not easy the older we get – that’s for sure. It’s not impossible but it’s not easier. There are so many obstacles that can keep us tethered to the jobs we do and the career we are into. It’s almost as if we talk ourselves out of following our passion by digging deeper for money, security, power and circumstance.
It’s confrontational to us to really examine what our passions are. It means looking inwards and really understanding what we are interested in and why. It’s out of the comfort zone of just doing. I’ve spoken with many colleagues about how they ended up doing the job they are now doing and not one of them said it was a passion or that they chose the job or career from thinking about what they wanted and what their passion was about. It was the same for me. Choosing jobs based on opportunity and expectations rather than passion. But what actually happens when we choose a job or a career based on our passion? How many of us have the courage to do that in today’s world of competitiveness and reactiveness?
So, What is the Formula for Passion When it Comes to Jobs?
How about the one that works for me – my interest + my engagement = my passion. My interest is and was police work, I was very engaged in finding out about policing in my community and in the countries and in adding both of those things, I found my passion. It was to work in policing in a capacity that was closely connected to the community. I realised that I was older than the recruitment age to be an officer (unless I went the route of Nathan Fillion in The Rookie) so the next best thing was to be Police Staff where I was able to support officers and the community.
For me, when I’m passionate about something – whether it’s the world of policing or music, cooking, reading or playing with my cats – I’ll be interested in it and I’ll engage with it. I become more than a passive participant in that thing. I don’t go through the motions and lose my focus or develop a negative attitude that comes with fighting against myself every day. The things that I’m passionate about I actively seek out. I read articles on policing, and I listen to podcasts and to Ted Talks. I take pleasure in talking about the world of policing as I knew and experience it. It’s the passion that I have for it that connects me with wanting to know more and to share with others.
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What are YOU Both Interested and Engaged in Right Now? What are You Not Only Thinking About, But You are Also Doing?
As mentioned above, some of the things I’m passionate about can be called hobbies. Like listening to music, cooking, reaching and playing with my cats (although the latter is more of a life dedication than a hobby!). Are any of my hobbies going to lead to a passionate and fulfilling career? Maybe, maybe not. They may add to the general way I feel about life which then impacts how I feel about my job and relationships. But would any of them actually transition into a career? Probably not.
For me the challenge went a bit deeper than exploring my love of reading, listening to music and cooking whilst playing with my cats. But here is the thing – when I read, I read books on policing and with a strong crime-solving theme. When I listened to music, it was whilst I was reading some gnarly topics in policing. When I cooked, I almost always had a podcast on and yes, you guessed it, the topic was crime or crime solving. So, all the things I enjoyed had a reoccurring theme of law enforcement and policing. I was very interested in that subject and I was thinking about it a lot.
Uncovering themes and trends when searching for your passion is crucial to understanding the root of what attracts you to the subject. This gives you a level of self-awareness that can prevent you from making decisions based on opportunity and expectations only. It can help you to connect with what you’re passionate about and what you really want to do and should be doing as a career.
What do You do When You’ve Uncovered a Passion That You Could Transition into a Career?
The best place for me was to use a search engine to search generically for jobs that are around that subject. For me, it was a job that paid less than half of what I was earning but it was in the field that I was passionate about. What to do? I felt so good about that job that the starting salary did not impact me. Not saying that would be the same for others – it is not something I would take now with a newly acquired mortgage. But, if you’re in the position to do it, with support from others, then you can connect with what makes you the happiest in a job. This could ultimately lead you to a quicker escalation up a career ladder.
The point is when you are looking for a job in the area you are passionate about you are opening yourself up to what is out there in that field and you do not need to start at the bottom. You can apply for roles that are comparable to where you are now in your career. But it will be in a field you’re passionate about.
Chitra Reddy writes, ‘Some of the Top Benefits if Your Workforce Turns Passionate are’:
- Motivate others as passion triggers passion.
- No absenteeism, as they love to work.
- Show their creative side.
- More loyalty to employers.
- Develop a better work environment.
Actionable Tips
Some key actionable tips to finding your passion for work that have worked for me are:
- Review yourself – what are you passionate about, and what inspires you? In my case, I have a desire to do more for my community and to use the skills I have to serve others.
- Think about what genuinely makes you happy and brings you joy. Imagine doing a job where you’re actually happy to go to work. You are happy to contribute and to feel as if you’re contributing to your own joy.
- Think about your youth and your early career days. What fired you up then? I remember when I was in my 20s and I loved watching tv (we all do, but I LOVED it). So I wrote an impassioned letter to the pay tv company telling them how much I loved tv and would like to work for them. They told me about the roles they were recruiting for and encouraged me to apply. I did and got the first job I ever had in business.
- Be honest with why you’re doing the job you’re doing now. It’s alright if you’re doing it for money. Hey, we’ve all been there. But then think about if you’ve saved enough that you can pursue something you’re really passionate about. Or even look at doing something you love within the company you work? It’s not too late.
The Passion of Others
For me, the best part about me being passionate about my job and the industry I work in is how contagious my attitude can be to others. I’ve worked with seasoned colleagues who were so disengaged and soured by their experiences at work that they had nothing positive to say about any part of it. They heartily encouraged me to leave as soon as I got here. I didn’t let that get to me because I needed to see and experience on my own.
Interestingly, after working with those same colleagues for a while, they saw how they couldn’t impact me with how they felt. But they were being impacted by my attitude and my passion. I heard so many times from them that ‘I can’t believe I’ve been here so long and I’ve never met someone who is so interested in how this works!’. Or, ‘you’re so passionate and patient with us!’. I can honestly say that I’ve affected change in my organisation through my passion. And isn’t that one of the key things we want to do?
The Importance of Passion
Being passionate about the work I do and the industry I work in means everything I do at work and for work feels like I’m doing something positive for myself. Every presentation, news article and even the ‘dry’ material is interesting to me – because it’s my passion and I am hungry to know more.
Imagine being in a situation where you feel that way about your job. Wouldn’t you want that? You would read everything about your area of interest, you would know more because of that and your knowledge would make you an expert. You would be one of those people they love to feature on TV shows and in books. The person who has the passion and the skillset. I know I love that feeling of being passionate and knowledgeable.
Reddy Continues…
If you want to taste the flavour of success in your career then you have to be passionate about your work.
Of course, you can experience success without passion for your work. However, it’s like having cooking chocolate instead of a bar of delicious chocolate that is just perfect. There is something so satisfying with experiencing success in your job that you’re passionate about. When I speak with people I work with, there is no negativity or pessimism about things that need to be done. I am excited to work with them to find solutions and to ‘infect’ them with my enthusiasm. I genuinely enjoy my job. Also, I enjoy the successes I experience as a result of doing a job that is rewarding for me. I’m always surprised by praise and by promotions because what I do feeds my passion and that is its own reward.
Conclusion
I’ll end my article with the words from Steve Jobs:
The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
What do you think about that? Do you do great work if you don’t love what you do? Or is it a chore and something you just go through the motions to do? Don’t you owe it to yourself and this one life we have to really do what you love and love what you do? Just imagine the creativity, the engagement, the joy and the endless possibilities you would have if you were passionate about what you did.
Some of the ways to start uncovering your passion is to really take some time to think about what brings you joy.
What ‘fires’ you up?
- Reflect on what has brought you joy in the past.
- Ask your trusted colleagues, friends and family for their feedback on what they think you’re passionate about. They may surprise you by reminding you of something you haven’t thought of.
- Think about your jobs and even your hobbies – what do you like / love and what you didn’t.
- Make a list of things that come to mind and examine what you wrote.
- Research and look into jobs for things you enjoy.
Lastly, be courageous and go for what you want. Be bold, be brave and be passionate.
