NOW!Some of you may think of Elvis when you hear the phrase, "Taking Care of Business" while others (like myself) think of the song by Bachman Turner Overdrive (yeah, BTO sings TCB...I just love all of these abbreviations).
And, you may be wondering what this has to do with our current discussion on LOVING WHAT YOU DO. Hang with me here...it's an easy leap on this one.
First of all, remember, we have been talking about a video featuring a man that worked as a janitor when he won the state lottery. What did he do? He kept right on working his janitor job because of his love for the track program and his desire to donate money to help build a new track for the school. He had a PURPOSE and a PASSION for what he was doing so it didn't matter to him that he didn't HAVE to keep working as the janitor. He WANTED to!
That is when you know you are at your "dream job". When you don't HAVE to do it but you do it anyway.
Now tell me, would being a JANITOR ever have been on your list of answers as being anyone's "dream job"? Likely not. But it brings on the main point of this whole discussion.
Here it is: it doesn't matter what ANYONE else thinks about what you are doing or what they think you SHOULD be doing. It's up to YOU to live your dream, whatever it may be.
Now then, most of us think of something far more elegant when we think of our dream job, don't we? But, again, let me refer to a question I asked early on in this series that SHOULD give you a clear view of your "dream job" - If money were not an issue, what would you be doing?
Well? Surely by now you have come up with an answer to this question if you have been following this series.
But the curve ball comes when we look at where we WANT TO BE and then at where WE ARE and we don't like what we see. The "wanna' be" is a long ways away from our "what is".
What then?
Yesterday I suggested that it might be possible to learn to love what you are doing even if you are not doing what you love (your "dream job"). I hope you have thought about that.
On yesterday's podcast I encouraged you to really try to brainstorm and think of HOW you can approach your current job with excitement rather than dread. WHAT CAN YOU DO to approach your day and your job with a challenge so that you get out of the rut of whining and complaining?
One thing that may be absolutely necessary is to change who you hang around with at the office!
BREAK FREE from those that do nothing but whine and complain but also never lift a finger to try to improve their position or make any attempt to actually do their best for the company.
How many times have you heard someone say something like this (and YOU may have been one of the ones to say it!): "Well, I'm not doing one thing more than I have to! If I don't HAVE to do it then I'm not going to do it!"
May I be blunt? What a loser mentality!
What if you decide to TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS RIGHT NOW where you are TODAY?
What if you decided to put 100% of your effort into doing the very BEST job that you can RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW?
What if you did this today, tomorrow and EVERY day from now on?
What do you think would happen?
I can tell what would happen - THINGS WOULD CHANGE!
You don't need me to tell you what might change for you, do you? Take a moment and write down everything you can think of that would change for you if you adopted this approach.
Why not STOP dreading the day at work and why not TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS when you go to work today and start learning to love what you do (which is simply loving the fact that you are living up to your potential!) until you get to the point that you can finally have the "job of your dreams" and do what you love.
Thing is, you just might find out that this "dream job" was right under your nose all along.
Think about it.
And, until next time, be sure to...
"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"
Mike
www.MichaelSpillman.com
Hey Mike, you mentioned something that struck a cord with me. Since I have recently started a new business, which is such a drastic change from my former job, some might think that I lowered my standard or um how should I say.... well, I went from being a Restaurant Manager to a House Cleaner. I guess SOME people would think blah blah blah but I liked that you pointed out that it doesn't matter what other people think. Is it my dream job? Hmm maybe! I was miserable as a manager. Oh yeah, there were good moments and wonderful customers but I was more unhappy with the job than not. As a housecleaner I get to hang out with the funniest person I know......Me haha. I like the alone time. I like getting a workout. I like working in different places everyday. And I love making things pretty and spotless. I get a satisfaction out of it. Now, is it my dream job? I'm not sure, only because I haven't really thought about what else I would like to do. My ONLY problem with doing this for a living is not being in the best of shape and feeling the effects at the end of the day. But then again, its like working out at a gym, if you are sore the next day you know you did some good.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I am, at the end of my day TIRED BUT HAPPY, which is great for me.
You made some GREAT observations, Tanya! Isn't it amazing how "we" (society) puts different labels on people just because of what they "do" in order to pay their bills (or just to enjoy life)?
ReplyDeleteYou are providing a valuable service!
And, how great is it that you were able to put this together when things began to look dark for you at the time.
You are doing a great job and I thank you for your comments and what you share -- you are AWESOME! - Mike