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There comes a time in almost everyone’s career when they wonder if they’re in the right line of work. For some, this is simply a moment’s passing doubt, for others, it is a consuming feeling that they need to get out and start afresh. For many, however, it is simply that they have fallen out of love with their work and have lost sight of why they chose to go into the field they are in. So what do you do when getting out of bed in the morning to get to your job becomes incredibly hard, and making it through the day without some serious clock-watching becomes almost impossible?
Reminisce
Cast your mind back and remember all of the hard work it took to get you to where you are now. Remember the challenges you overcame, the struggles you faced and the rewards you reaped. It can be easy to forget how you got to where you are.
Interview yourself
This might sound like a really odd thing to do, but it can really shine a light on why you do what you do. This works especially well if you have been in the same job for a substantial amount of time and haven’t had to do much self-reflection. Ask yourself some of the most typical interview questions, such as ‘why should we hire you?’ and answer as you would if you were trying to impress an interview panel. By having to talk about things such as your achievements, qualifications, study and your general aptitude for the role you do, you may find a renewed enthusiasm for your work.
Learn something new
It might be that you feel a lack of enthusiasm for your work simply because you’ve been static for a while. Take control and speak to your boss about some development or new responsibilities.
Figure out which bits you don’t enjoy
Every job has some monotony about it, but it can be this monotony that we focus on and become unhappy about. Look at your daily, weekly, and even monthly tasks and figure out which ones are making you miserable, then find out why. Are there other ways to accomplish them? Are they outdated? Could they be more efficient?
Think about the future
Becoming stagnant can be one of the most prolific causes of feeling unhappy about your work. The prospect of doing the same thing for years on end without change will make anyone fall out of love with what they do. Tackle this by casting your mind 5 or 10 years into the future and deciding where you want to be. You might not know the specifics but you will at least be able to come up with a few ideas. Once you know, take action. This might mean speaking to your boss or you might be on your own in terms of further training and study, but the most important thing is to keep moving.
It’s easy to take what you do for granted, after all, we spend such a huge amount of time going to the same place, and doing the same thing. What is crucial is to keep your mind on the bigger picture and not to become so tunnel-visioned that you can’t see the woods for the trees.