Building Passion When You’re Not in Love With Your Job

Here’s some career advice for the new year.

Experts often suggest that people follow their passion when looking for work that they’ll feel enriched by. But sometimes you don’t have a choice and have to take a job that you’re not quite wild about, to put it mildly.

But rather than feel resentful and unhappy every day, over time you can learn to love the job — or at least like it.

There are two different mindsets when it comes to finding job satisfaction: the “fit theory” and the “develop theory,” according to researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California.

For people with the “fit theory” mindset, the priority is finding work that they can be passionate about from day one. People with the “develop theory” mindset aren’t as concerned with finding the perfect job. They focus more on the practical, like having a paycheck and believing they’ll develop an inner passion on the job as they master the position.

After numerous studies, the researchers discovered that people are actually more flexible than they might think and can change their approach to fit the situation. So if you find yourself in a job that you only feel lukewarm about, there are steps you can take to feel more connected sooner.

To create more passion at work:

Search out tasks that allow you to use your greatest strengths and skills.
Find deeper meaning by taking on a responsibility that will spell success for the company and, in turn, reflect well on you.
Challenge yourself to become an expert at something new, which will create a greater sense of self-worth.

This isn’t to say that these steps will turn an imperfect job into an ideal one, but you’ll feel more positive as you greet each day.

More information

The Live Your Legend website has more ideas for getting the most out of a job you’re not wild about.