Motivation at Work: Feed Your Spirit & Your Bottom Line!

Today is a special day; it is my daughter’s birthday. She graduated from college a few years ago and is now navigating the landscape of limitless career choices. So, today I’d like to start out my post with a great big - Happy Birthday Dawn!

Let’s explore your personal vision of ideal work. Our quest for fulfilling work has surfaced often in recent conversations. Since it is spring which is all about new beginnings, it seems like a perfect time of year to start anew.

We have all questioned our daily work at some point along our journeys. Many of us have searched to find that ideal job or career so we can “truly be happy”. It is wonderful that you listen to the yearning, because that is what compels you to grow and create that which you seek. However, also consider that we are all co-creators. We have created the current state of our work experience, and for many, it is not a perfect fit.

So what does it mean to recognize that we are co-creators in our work experience? It means that our choices, and the people, employers, coworkers and events that are in our lives now, are a direct result of our thoughts and beliefs. We created our experience, our current state. Some people may not want to hear this, but those that embrace themselves as co-creators become empowered and masters of their own destinies.

Your thoughts and beliefs about work are formed by your early childhood experiences. You drew conclusions about work as an eight year old, as you experienced your first part-time job, and when listened to the comments of your friends, peers, teachers, parents and siblings.

I grew up believing that if you worked long and hard, you would be rewarded. I realized somewhere in my early thirties that this thinking no longer served me. It was time to examine my underlying beliefs about work and life.

When we unconsciously adopt limiting beliefs or pin our happiness on some future event, such as a promotion or pay raise, we rob ourselves of the joy that is right in front of us. We can not see joy or meaning, because our focus is on the future, or on our personal misery, and not on what we can do now to create the work life experience we want.

Our work is how we express ourselves. It is how we share our unique gifts, abilities and strengths. If we only focus on that idea of nirvana in the future, we miss the opportunities and the significance in the moment today.

Perhaps it is time to examine your thinking so you can adopt beliefs that align you with your biggest hopes, dreams and goals. Ask yourself - What can I contribute today to know meaning and significance in my work? If your environment does not lift you up, ask - What can I do to create positive energy where I am now? I am not saying that you should stay in an unhealthy work environment or one that does not suite you. However, before you jump into the next experience, give yourself time to revel in your unique gifts, talents and abilities. There is no one quite like you. List your strengths and what you enjoy doing. Write down all of the attributes you envision in an ideal workplace. Ask yourself – What do I want to contribute? How do I want to grow?

When you have clarity about the work you want to create, you can move forward with confidence and develop a strategy that will help you find the job, profession and workplace that is an ideal fit for your unique gifts. This might also mean venturing out and creating your own business. But as you move forward, remember that to know meaning and significance, you must experience it.

May you know meaning, significance and prosperity in your chosen work.

Until next time, all the best!