I’ve recently struggled through a period where I lost the enjoyment and sense of fulfillment that I used to get in my work. What used to be fun now was a chore. Teaching college students now became a chore. Networking… a chore. Working with clients… a chore. It hit me when my wife one day made the comment that I wasn’t acting like this was my dream job anymore. What happened? What I realized was that I had stopped focusing on the excitement and fun of what I was doing and began looking at everything as a chore. Something that had to be checked off the list.
How did I get myself out of this? I began to to ask myself one question in everything I did; ” Where is the fun and enjoyment in this?” What i realized was that it was still there I just wasn’t paying attention to it. For example instead of focusing on the fun and excitement I got from teaching and opening peoples minds to new ideas I started to focus on the chore of preparing for class and grading papers and tests. While both are a necessary evil of teaching it isn’t everything. I love when I come up with creative ways to get a point across or I say something that clicks with students in a way that they have never thought before. When I started to refocus on that part of the job I became more energetic and excited about what I was doing.
So what’s the point? When we are feeling stale, tired and stressed, it is important to focus on the enjoyment that you get from what you are doing. It may sound too simple of a solution but I have found it really works. It takes practice and isn’t a miracle cure but if you stay with it over a couple of weeks it can have a big affect on mood and energy level.
Your thoughts.
