WORKING WOUNDED: Have You Lost Your Passion?

WORKING WOUNDED: Have You Lost Your Passion?  By Bob Rosner

DEAR WW: I’m starting to notice that I’m having trouble waking up in the morning to go to work. I’ve never had this problem before. What do you do when the passion disappears. – PASSIONLESS

DEAR PASSIONLESS: Your email reminded me of a supermarket cashier in Oakland, CA. This cashier was so popular that people would line up for her, even though other cashiers were available. Why? She’d greet you warmly, offer treats to dogs or kids, and give you recipes to cook the items you’d just bought. She turned a forgettable job into something memorable.

Is your attitude the source of the problem? I’ve responded to more than 50,000 emails from bosses and employees. I can’t begin to tell you how many emails begin by pointing the finger at bosses, co-workers, etc. As my mom used to say, when you point a finger at someone, three point back at you. Just as a great attitude can spread at work, so can a bad one. So take a hard look in the mirror to see if you’re one of those people who lets all the air out of everyone else’s tires at work.

Are there people at work who are destroying your passion? Have you ever had a friend you liked, but who was able to suck the life force right out of you? I’ve known those kinds of people, and I’ve found that I can’t be around excessively negative individuals. Sometimes you can put some space between you and these negative people; often, you just have to just get the heck out of there.

Are your expectations dragging you down? High expectations can challenge us to reach farther than we ever thought we could. At the same time, they can also set an unreachable standard. So take a look at your expectations to see if you are losing your passion because you expect too much from your co-workers, company, etc.

Are non-work-related things the problem? Eating poorly, not exercising, not getting enough sleep, etc, can turn even a great job into a prison cell.

Are you in the wrong profession or company? There is such a thing as a bad fit. Sometimes we need to explore a new line of work, a new company or just get away from a particular group of employees or a boss. I just got a letter from someone who felt trapped with a bad boss and then left and realized that there are great bosses out there – you’ve just got to find them.

Just like that supermarket cashier turned her job into something special; you can use the tips above to get reunited with your passion.

Tag: Bob Rosner is the author of The Boss's Survival Guide (McGraw Hill, 2001), a speaker, and founder of the award-winning WorkingWounded.com. E-mail him at bob@RetentionEvangelist.com.

Add Your IT Resume to ComputerWork.com