Some people get up each day looking forward to their work while others dread each day. Not that they don’t have days they’d rather be doing something else rather than the work before them, but they generally enjoy what they do each day. What makes them different? Psychology Today gives 10 simple reasons for it.
from 10 Reasons Why Some People Love What They Do:
1. They seldom feel disconnected from the challenge that first engaged their interest.
Though their career paths may have swerved here and there, they’ve remained connected to the initial challenge—that all important motivating “juice”—that compelled them toward their field. Sure, at times it’s harder to focus, because all of us wade into murky waters now and again, … But people who love what they do never fully lose sight of the challenge and the sense of purpose that drives them; they fight their way back toward it no matter how murky things get because it’s the very thing that gets them up in the morning.
People who love what they do never lose sight of the purpose that drives them
2. They’re remarkably well-attuned to the “early years.”
People who genuinely love their jobs … are in touch with that kid who loved to write, or tell stories, or envision amazing buildings. The important part: what these people are doing in their jobs now may not be (and usually is not) a carbon copy of those passions, but they’ve successfully integrated elements of those passions into what they do. In effect, they’re energized kids with the seasoned perspective of adults – and that’s a great place to be.
3. They are “portfolio” thinkers.
When we speak of stock portfolios, we’re talking about something that is neither consistently good nor bad; it’s a mixture of ups and downs. A down cycle doesn’t kill the portfolio—though it may weaken it for a time. And an up cycle doesn’t make the portfolio a permanent success—though it may get it a bit closer to that goal. The point is, portfolio thinkers know that their careers will always combine positives and negatives. The crucial thing is, they don’t choke on the negatives and they don’t get too high on the positives. They ride the wave of both and by doing so they navigate their way closer and closer to what they want. If you want to love what you do, that sort of balanced, even-keel perspective isn’t optional.
4. They don’t care what you think.
… people who genuinely love what they do don’t allow others to talk them out of it. …Those of us who make it through those impasses, guarded by naysayers aplenty, are much more likely to love what they do than those talked into a contrived conventionality. But, the good news is, even if we took bad advice back then, there are still opportunities afterward to get back to what fuels our passions. It won’t come easy, but precious little worth having ever does. To put a psychological bead on this observation: people who love what they do are self-actualized in the best sense of the term.
5. They are born succession planners.
..some corporate-isms are quite important, and “succession planning” is one of them. It simply means that for every person deeply synced into his or her position, there’s another person in training to do that job when the time comes. And the time always comes eventually, because things change all the time; that’s the one constant we can all be sure of.
People who love their jobs not only know this, they embrace it wholeheartedly and actively look for others to share their passions with, in hopes that they’ll want to do that job one day as well. These folks aren’t doing this because the company handbook tells them to – they do it because they love what they do, and that passion compels them to share their knowledge and acumen with others. And if the would-be successor isn’t passionate about that position, people who love what they do take pains to help them figure out what position will fuel their motivation – because success is unabashedly addicted to creating success.
6. They will stay…but just know, they’ll also leave.
Why will they leave? Because for people who love what they do, organizations are important–since they provide the infrastructure to do that which fuels their fire–but no single organization has a monopoly on providing that fuel, and if a company … ceases to provide an adequate venue for doing what they love to do, then it’s time to move on. … A full commitment to doing that which one loves is among the most personal parts of one’s life. Passion always supersedes the functionality of infrastructure and organization, and that’s part of what makes it such an essential part of who we are.
7. They won’t be stopped.
I have lost count, seriously, of how many managers I’ve watched try to talk a passionate person out of pursuing a path toward the thing that fulfills them. The manager has a plan, and this person needs to fill a prescribed role in that plan, period. But for a passion-driven person who loves what they do—or is trying to connect up with what they love to do—that plan will receive their deference for only as long as it takes them to navigate around it. To put that another way, when a manager says, in so many words, “this is your role in my plan, and failure to fill it will have negative consequences,” the smart person usually obliges, at least temporarily. But the passion-drive person bent on doing what they love is already figuring out how to blow the walls off that plan and move on. You can’t hold them back. Just try it and see what happens.
Passion-fueled tenacity will win in the end, even if it means taking some hard knocks in the short run.
8. They draw people to them without even trying.
People want to be around people who are passionate about what they do because it’s an infectious feeling. So, let’s take the hypothetical person who loves what they do–and they exude passion about how connected they are with the challenges of their day—and place them among a group of people far less directed, far less passionate, and frankly a little confused about why what they do means anything at all.
Some of those people are probably so jaded that nothing is going to change their perspective, but some of the others are going to take notice. And when they get a taste, they’ll want a bigger taste – and pretty soon, even if they aren’t exactly sure why—they’ll start feeling a strange, uplifting sensation about coming to work. That’s the infection of passion, and if you’ve ever worked somewhere without at least a little bit of it to go around, you already know how vapid and miserable the days seem.
9. They live in the now.
People who love what they do are not short-sighted thinkers, but they’re also not going to wait around too long to see if “the pieces come together”. Sure, they’ll give it some time – of anyone, they know it takes time to pursue one’s vision of fulfillment. Nothing just happens without work and time, and more work. But if you think you’re going to convince a genuinely passionate person that an array of external forces must align before they can act, you’re wasting your time. The “now” for someone who loves what they do is precious, because it can disappear in a heartbeat. And that, as it turns out, is one of the most important lessons they pass along to the rest of us.
10. They never, ever limit their vision to serve the interests of petty competition.
…highly effective people don’t see the “pie” as having a limited number of pieces. Instead, they see a pie with pieces enough for everyone, and it doesn’t bother them to watch others get their slice. While we cannot escape the fact that we live in a competitive culture—or that we are a competitive species, just like every other species on this planet—there’s quite a difference between healthy embodiment of competition, and petty pursuit of selfish ends. People who love what they do are competitive. They wouldn’t be able to reach their goals if they weren’t. But they don’t invest their time and energy in scheming and undermining; they don’t try to deny the other guy his piece of pie just because that means there’s one less to consume. Loving what you do—no matter how competitive you have to be to attain your goals—does not require stepping on others to get there.
via 10 Reasons Why Some People Love What They Do .
photo credit: Victor1558
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Excellent article and really accurate. People like this are easy to spot and good to be around. I especially liked point Number 10 about competition. Unhappiness and fear creates an aura of arrogance, whereas someone happy in their own skin and place in life is engaging, motivating and happy to share information. Great tip there for anyone in a management role.
What a great article! I’ve learned quite a lot from reading it. 🙂
thank you Denise!! 😀
Good read. I have been working for the same company for 33 years now, with passion, and find that reason number 6 is very true. I am leaving the company, as I find the challenges gone.
Thanks for the interesting article, I always disliked working for others and for majority of my working life self employed. in self employment their is only one rung on the ladder,
Thank you Renee for such a Awesome post – shared with all my networks.
thank you!!
I greatly enjoyed reading this and in my experience almost everything that you have listed stands to reason. I suppose that is why I left some jobs and have retained others.
Thanks Randy! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 and thanks for commenting!
Having worked for myself for 25 years I can relate to most of the above, I am thick skinned, bloody minded and very self sufficient. Great article
Thanks for the kind words Eric! Working for yourself requires a very high level of self-control and single-mindedness – and doing it for 25 years… wow! 🙂
Nice article. Learned new things 🙂
Doing what you love and being surprised that you actually get paid for it ! Being a maverick (in the good sense) – a self-starter, a go-getter, the sort of person who doesn’t wait for someone to tell them what needs doing – they know what needs doing and get on with doing it ! Being a people person – getting your ‘feedback-loop’ for the work that you enjoy doing from those that see the benefits of what you are doing and give you positive feedback about it. Passionate about what they are doing. Tenacious, as you put it. Exuding enthusiasm. When you’re all these things you’ll love what your’e doing and never consider it work.
#2 … being in-touch with your inner-kid!
Well written and so true.
I’m doing what I love for around 20 years with all ups and downs – and I would do this again. I tend to leave out a few from the downs, but on the other hands, this are the biggest lessons you get.
I liked and enjoyed reading your article Renee, and I can relate to many of the different reasons you gave.
I make a living as a rock singer, and even though I like to joke that my work is like play, I am keenly aware that there are always obstacles in my life, most of them unexpected.
Though I could see many of the reasons applying to me, I related to the “living in the now” #9, and also #3, because they remind me of the constant struggle and hard work, the constant practices behind the scenes, that it takes to have that fun.
Finally #10 reminded me of some of the obstacles I still deal with, though I’m more prepared now; people who are petty, control freaks, wannabes, and self-destructive ones, that I have to deal with!
Thanks for the thoughtful article!
I always wanted to work for myself and not for anyone else. And for the last several years I’ve been doing it. It is challenging but that challenge itself is a motivation.
Excellent article, when you have so much passion for what you do it is easy to go the extra mile
Why Some Love Their Work http://t.co/DxnJNoya via @libgrl
For me, it was the idea of being a portfolio thinker that particularly hit home. Great idea if you can achieve this, though my impression that the world of writers – and all artists for that matter – has a high preponderance of bipolar individuals who would find this a hard prescription to follow.
I hadn’t thought of the differences in trying to apply these between creative jobs and technical jobs, or between management and employee… great point! I wonder if any one else can add to it… I’m very curious now as how left-right-brain people interpret it.. i think I’m in the middle, so I have a difficult time envisioning someone who’se firmly on one side or the other.
worth reading and I am going to stick with No. 7 they wont be stopped, its a great mind set that keeps you persist and build a momentum of perseverance. Thank you!
Thank you!! 🙂
i think, to put it more simply, these people LOVE what they do, as your title states, and they’re making a living besides. what could be better? it’s like going on vacation…from a vacation. it’s like christmas, every time you wake up.
Exactly! – the sweet spot, doing what you love and making a living out of it !
Peoples should think about it: How many years or decades they spend/waste for a job they hate … If you love your job it changes everything. Great points above Renee!
Thanks! I know many people simply aren’t in a postion to leave a job they hate, but i always tell them to find ONE thing, no matter how small, that they love, and to keep focusing on that one thing to keep motivated about another day.
Great article! Number 1 and 6 are especially true for me. I left my last job because of #6.
Thanks Nate! If only more employers would understand how important it is to their star performers – because the stars are usually the ones who think just like this!
It is the key to happy life to love what you do. Sadly few really do.
I guess I am one of the lucky one but that was not always true. We need to move towards this.
One is about as happy as one makes one self.
That’s the key right there Dan! We are as happy as we allow ourselves to be… even the bad jobs have a little glimmer of good, something you can grab onto and smile about… at least until #6 kicks in and we find a better place 🙂
Great points – I see my self in a few, but can see others that flourish that have so many of these qualities. I have to remember to get out of the box at times!
Honestly, most of my posts or just trying to remind myself of the things “I” need to do! I’m really working on a few of these traits right now, struggling, but trying nonetheless 🙂
If U Love yourself and Always looking on the bright side of life, than everything (incl. job) makes you happy 🙂 People, who don’t love own job, usually are unhappy everywhere else. So it’s matter of attitude 😉 Renee, I hope U R in Love what U do 🙂 and thanks for your article!
Thank YOU! and yes, i do indeed love my job, and everything I do, even when it frustrates the heck out of me, I love it, and luckily I’m in a position that when it stops challenging me, when it stops fueling my passion, i WILL move on to someplace that does 😀
Loved your article, Renee – and shared it around with pleasure. Your reason #8 sort of jumped out for me, as this is something I’m really struggling with. I keep living in the future — will sacrifice this and that now, BUT in the future… The issue with my approach is that the “sacrifice” just never ends, and the mindset is fundamentally flawed.
Anyway, learning to love what I have, and do what I love. Will get there 🙂
I have a hard time balancing the “now” and the “future” too. By reminding myself of the benefits of both I seem to do better, but the “now” always seem to overwhelm
Thanks for sharing!!
Having my own business, I sure do like my job; otherwise it would be senseless. However, there were certain jobs in my life, which I did out of ‘convenience’, money was good, job not so much.
When you can do what you love AND make a good living from it… That’s the sweet spot!
Great article, thanks !!!
Seguire con tenacia i propri obiettivi ,con il tempo, darà dei risultati sorprendenti. Grazie Renee
Rough translation :
Follow tenaciously its objectives, with time, give surprising results. Thanks Renee
Thank you!!
Great article – shared to my networks!
Thank you! 🙂 very glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for such a positive post Renee – shared with all networks 🙂
Thank you! For the comment AND the shares!! Much appreciated!
My shortcut is: Love what you do and just do what you really love!
And that’s the best advice!
intruiging! must apply 🙂
Thanks Sarin! 🙂
I heard a story once about a couple who moved to a new town where they didn’t know anyone. They were anxious about what sort of people they would find in the new place; so they asked an old timer sitting on a part bench. The old timer ask them what sort of folks were in the town they came from They said amazing, wonderful, sweet folks we are so sad to leave. The old time said you will like it here because that is exactly the kind of folks you will find here. A bit later another couple who were newly arrived to town happened to ask that same old timer exactly the same question. He of course asked them about the town they were from. They said the folks were mean, nasty,and spiteful; so we are glad to be away from there. The old time said sadly, I am so sorry but the folks you will find here are exactly like what you will find here.
We can’t control our circumstances, but we can control our response.
Love it! You find what you expect to find every time 🙂
#2 and #3 especially ‘spoke’ to me – being still connected with the inner child and having enough marbles to play with . . .
🙂 Hi Andreas! I think #2 is the hardest to keep, but the one that really does make the most difference in enjoyment of our jobs
People Who Love Their Work http://t.co/vEy1LsDi via @zite ‘energised kids with seasoned perspective of adults – that’s a great place to be.’
Passion-fueled tenacity will win in the end, even if it means taking some hard knocks in the short run.http://t.co/RibI6z4T @libgrl
The difference between those that love their #work and those that don’t… @PsychologyToday gives their reasons. http://t.co/kDkeJ7EE #Perth
Passion-fueled tenacity will win in the end, even if it means taking some hard knocks in the short run.http://t.co/uDxUuPKm @libgrl