At one point or another, most of us have questioned whether we chose the right path in our careers. Whether you wonder if you could be making a bigger difference elsewhere or feel like your work isn’t all it could be, these doubts can creep in and affect your life in more ways than one.
If you’ve been feeling like you need a little oomph when it comes to your professional life, I hear you. But if you can’t remember the last time you were excited about a project at work, it may be a little more than some oomph what you’re looking for. So, how about we explore what it’s like to feel passion in business — and how to find it outside of business, too?
3 signs that you’re passionate about your work
You get in the zone
If you feel like whenever you dive into a project you enter a state of flow, where work just moves through you and time passes by without you noticing, you know you’re doing something right.
Work feels exciting
Let’s face it. No job will feel fun 100% of the time. But if you’re passionate about what you’re doing, the good will almost always outweigh the bad — the annoying bits will be worth it if it means you get to earn a living doing what you do.
Another side of this is how you feel when meeting a challenge. Does it feel invigorating and exciting? Or does it feel dreadful and/or scary? If it’s the latter, you’ll need some course correction.
You can’t see yourself doing anything else
I think most of us have fantasized about going off to some exotic location and starting from scratch doing blank.
But have you stopped to consider what you would like to do if you had to choose right now? It may be that you come up with an idea or two — or it may be that your answer is exactly what’s in front of you. If your case is the latter, you know you’re in the right spot.
How to find passion in business if you’re not quite there
Many times, it’s hard to connect with your passion or find it within your business — especially after years of doing the same. Blame it on the daily grind, the endless to-do lists, or perhaps the fact that what you once loved doesn’t seem to be there in your business anymore.
However, this doesn’t mean you can light that spark back up. Evaluate these three aspects to find passion in business again:
Use your business to drive impact
If things are feeling stagnant, ask yourself — what exactly feels off? Is it what you do, where you do it, or who’s by your side?
Often, we’re too quick to throw the baby out with the bathwater when, in reality, a small switch could change how you feel.
One way to reignite your passion is to consider the ways your business can drive the impact you hope to achieve and incorporate those into the way you run things. Perhaps this means working with a specific audience to help them achieve a goal. Or maybe you can use your business resources to promote causes near to your heart. Whatever it is, your business has a voice that can drive real change. So use it strategically.
Restructure your business to do the work you love
First, ask yourself — are you doing work that you love?
One of the most empowering aspects of running a business is that you can decide exactly how you want to show up every day. Running a business allows you to do the work you love and release the stuff you don’t. So you’re enabling the business to grow and opening your time to live more freely.
There are countless reasons you could have launched your business. Maybe you craved freedom, saw a gap in the market, or discovered powerful skills that could help you make an impact. But if you’re not doing work that lights you up, it’ll be hard to achieve any real impact.
So ask yourself — is this still something that I love doing? If not, how can I reframe my business so it is? A restructure could mean letting go of services you no longer enjoy or find profitable. Perhaps hiring admin staff to help you run the behind-the-scenes so you can focus on client work. Or it might look like working with an agency to take the marketing side off your hands so you don’t have to worry about how to show up — and instead, be guided by experts while you do the work that speaks to your soul.
Create a goal and a plan to follow through
Many times, running a business is a lonely road. Businesses of all sizes and in all walks of life struggle with accountability. But it can be easy to lose steam if things feel like they’re not moving.
Beat those feelings of stagnancy by creating a goal — and a clearly outlined strategy to make it happen.
Start with your why and work your way back to the how and what. Once you dig deep and find the reasons for what you want to achieve, it’ll be easier to stick to that plan. Bonus points for sharing that vision and goal with your peers, colleagues, and loved ones for extra accountability.
Another part of holding yourself accountable is the fact that it’s hard to stay passionate about your work when you’re overworked or underpaid. Changing this can come in the shape of increasing your rates and finding higher-paying clients, packaging your services differently, or offering new services altogether. In short, ditch the notion of being busy and embrace the possibility of working less, making more impact, and earning more money. It’s up to you.
Final words: should you pursue passion in business?
In short, yes. After all, there could be a million reasons why you left the handcuffs and decided to pursue entrepreneurship — an infinitely harder choice than sticking to a clear career path.
Your business venture is the opportunity to build your legacy — to inspire and encourage, to provide for your family and yourself. To live life on your own terms. So why would you want to settle for anything less than what you know deep down you can achieve?
If you are ready to grow to your fullest potential, settling for doing a good enough job won’t be enough. In that case, it’s time to spread your wings and chase what you’re truly after. Is this you? Book a consultation now to learn more about how I can help you reach your full potential.
