Work passion is essential for ensuring you’re not the issue holding your firm back. The answer is simple: when you find passion in what you do and share that enthusiasm with your team, you create a motivated and thriving work environment. Without work passion, it’s easy to fall into a rut and become the problem instead of the solution.
1. Surround Yourself with the Right People
Even if you have the job of your dreams, straight from the pages of your passion, it can feel unfulfilling if you aren’t surrounded by the right people. These are the individuals who not only push you to be the best you can be but refuse to let you settle for anything less. They believe in you and encourage you to believe in yourself. These people might be mentors, role models, or even those you lead. They don’t expect perfection, but they do expect long-term greatness. No flame of passion can ignite or continue to burn in a vacuum. A workplace filled with negative, passionless people going through the motions is toxic. Like a vampire, it will drain any work passion you have.
2. Align Your Life Priorities
Your “big rocks”—the things you love, such as family or outside passions—should be supported by your job. Does your work environment allow you the flexibility to attend your child’s school functions? Or, if traveling is your passion, does your job permit you to take extended time off to explore the world? Even if your job isn’t your primary passion, it can provide the means to enjoy what you love in life. Aligning your personal values with your work passion ensures that your job enhances rather than detracts from your life.
3. Open the Toolbox to Enhance Your Work Passion
To truly be passionate, it’s not enough to understand what you’re doing; you must also have confidence in it. If you lack the tools and resources you need to excel, seek out training. Be a lifelong learner and commit to attending a “passion-feeding” educational event every quarter. Whether it’s a communication class, a technology workshop, or a two-hour talk by an inspiring author, expanding your skills will keep your work passion alive.
4. Enlist Support to Discover Your Work Passion
Discover what motivates you. If you can’t do this on your own, seek help from those around you whom you trust and admire. Sometimes, the support you need may come from the last person you expect—or even someone who intimidates you. Surrounding yourself with a supportive network can reignite your work passion and help you stay motivated.
Here’s a story from Laney that illustrates this point:
I had been working at a law firm for four years and liked my job. I worked with people who encouraged me, pushed me to grow, and helped me develop self-confidence. I had the training, resources, and knowledge to do a good job. As I thought about growing further in the workplace I loved so much, I began seriously considering law school to become an attorney. Achieving this would allow me to continue growing in my current workplace, with more responsibility and higher pay. I shared my aspirations with my boss, who had always been supportive of my educational pursuits, so I knew that wouldn’t be an issue. However, I wanted his opinion on whether I would make a good attorney and what this would mean for my growth opportunities at the firm.
He responded with one simple question: “What do you love about your job?” It was a tough question. I loved my coworkers, and the work was enjoyable, but what was it that I truly loved about my job? After thinking it over, I answered, “I love talking to our clients. I enjoy hearing about their lives, especially their kids. When we discuss estate plans, they share their hopes and dreams for their children, and you can see their eyes light up. They tell us about their children’s accomplishments, how the husbands and wives met, and the wonderful—even heartbreaking—events they’ve shared. Every time I talk to a client, it’s not just about a document or a legal question; it’s about the love they have for their children, spouse, or community.”
My boss wisely responded, “You don’t need to be an attorney to do that.” He explained that if I had said I loved the law, the research, and the technical aspects, he would fully encourage me to go to law school. However, I didn’t need to become an attorney to listen to clients’ stories and help ensure their estate planning wishes were carried out. Since then, I’ve taken on more direct work with clients and prospective clients. In fact, they appreciate that I’m not an attorney; as a layperson, I talk to them in a way they can relate to, discussing how planning can benefit them and their families and why our firm is the right choice for them. I now use the skills I enjoy, such as writing, public speaking, and event planning. I help write books, newsletters, and marketing materials for the firm and get to plan events and conferences.
One of the fundamental keys to unlocking my work passion—making a difference for the aging population and their children—has been fulfilled. I primarily work with elderly clients, whom I genuinely enjoy and learn from, helping their children or grandchildren grow into successful, loving people. Through my clients, I help make a difference in the world.
By being asked the right questions and not just following the logical next step to a bigger paycheck, I found the keys to my passion, and they were right in front of me! As I grew, I didn’t allow myself to be molded by my job. Instead, I expanded my job description to include the skills I enjoyed, like writing and public speaking. Many years after that crossroads, I’ve made a difference by helping the community—organizing golf tournaments to benefit underprivileged children’s education and taking my first trip to Cambodia to volunteer with children and seniors affected by polio and landmines. If I had gone to law school as the next logical step in my career, who knows if I would have found my passion? I might have “followed the job” rather than making the job follow me.
Don’t walk into the office tomorrow and say, “I don’t like that we sell computer services because I’m not passionate about it.” Instead, take responsibility for how you communicate. Laney loves to teach, but who would have seen that as a possibility in a law firm? At first, it may have seemed as though she would have to quit, but she found a way to teach—training the team and attorneys on the firm’s systems and processes. Even in a law firm, she found a way to express her passion. She didn’t need to leave to fulfill her dreams; everything she needed was right there.
P.S. For more insights and resources to help you find passion in your work, visit our website fire.h50.us/~hrgnmpwr/dev2/ for free tools and guidance.
