~ by Haley Lynn Gray ~
Do you believe in what you’re doing? Do you believe in your career? In your business?
If the answer is “yes”, then great! If the answer is “no”, then we need to have a serious heart to heart. Seriously, talk to yourself. In a quiet room, think about what you’re doing, and ask yourself if you believe in it. Do you do it well? Is it something you are passionate about? Let’s be honest. Working a job that you aren’t passionate about is just a job. If you dislike it, then it can be a soul-sucking, joy-robbing pain. Is that how you want to live your life?
Doing something that you believe in, and that fulfills you is important because it makes it so much easier to get out of bed in the morning. It is also much more likely that you’ll put significant effort into the job and focus on doing that job well. That in turn translates to improved performance and better results at the end of the day. I’ve felt that lift in my soul when I like what I’m doing, and also that darkness each day, as my soul dies a bit, when I haven’t liked my job nearly as much.
What if you’re only “so-so” about the job? Well, that means that you’re less likely to go that extra mile on it. You’re also not going to get as much out of it or focus on being your best at the job. You’re not going to be able to problem solve and generally function nearly as well if you’re working in a job that is a poor fit. I’ve lived it, and been in those jobs where I suffered from analysis paralysis. “Am I going to get in trouble for this? Or this?” Worse yet is that feeling of losing your soul to something that you don’t really believe in and really don’t even enjoy doing.
Why would you spend your life doing something you don’t particularly care for or believe in if you have a choice? Believe it or not, we all have choices. Make the choice to step away and find something else that is a better fit. What I found when I switched jobs was that I suddenly was much more able to spend hours devoted to my job. I lay my head down at night, content with what I’d done that day.
Can you say the same for your job/career? Why don’t you try changing it? What’s stopping you from making a change, and becoming a believer in what you do?
About the author
Haley Lynn Gray is the founder of Leadership Girl, of In2itive Biz Solutions, and of the Women’s Entrepreneur Network — a community of more than 77,000 women in business.
She writes here about what happens when running a business starts demanding that you lead one. More about Haley →
