Do the work you love

Do the work you love-

It used to be okay to settle for work?that didn't excite you,?but if you're going to increasingly compete?with others for work,?then you're going to need to do work that motivates you.

So, rule number one of the new rules of work is,?do the work that you love.?

One of the most fundamental understandings of ourselves?is that we each have a completely unique mix of skills,?knowledges, traits, experiences and interests.?Nobody else on the planet?has exactly the same characteristics as you.?And that unique mix means that there's a range?of different kinds of work that you could be doing.

?With more than 40 years of experience at helping job owners?and career changers, Dick Bolles,?author of "What Color Is Your Parachute?",?the enduring career manual,?has found that the key to being motivated at work?is in finding or in creating a match?between your unique characteristics?and the work that you do.

Over and over again,?we've seen that the better that match is,?between what's true about you and your work,?the better your satisfaction and motivation.?So why is motivation more important?in a world of constant change

There are several important reasons. First, workers will increasingly stand out?because they're motivated.?Think of motivation as a spectrum.

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On one end, we're completely disinterested?in the work that we do.?We show up, we do it, but we have zero motivation.?But on the other end, we jump out of bed in the morning.?We're energized by the opportunity to do the work?that we love.?Now in a more static world with nine-to-five jobs?and repetitive work, it was possible to do work?that didn't motivate you very much.?But you're going to increasingly find?that being highly motivated by the work that you do?will not only make you stand out,?it will give you the drive to continually excel?at what you do.?Look, it's absolutely your choice?if you don't want to be motivated at work,?but you're going to find?it will increasingly put you at a disadvantage. Second, workers who are doing the work that they love?are far more likely to be more creative, more innovative,?and more proactive in doing their work.?That increases your ability to perform your work?and to repeatedly find new ways to solve problems.?Now, using your fingers as circles,?if your left hand circle is all of the skills,?knowledges and work environment characteristics?that make you happy in your work?and your right-hand circle is your current job,?how much of an overlap do those two circles have??And how much do you want them to have??The greater the overlap, the more agile you'll be?in continually doing the work you're motivated to do.?And that will be one of your greatest assets?in a constantly changing world of work