You have heard this statement dozens of times and you might find it irritating if you are stuck in a job or vocation that you have grown out of. Or just don’t enjoy doing it. What do you do then?
I can tell you by experience, variety is the essence of life and work too. Sometimes doing the same thing over and over again can make you totally disinterested in the work you do. A change of focus, or looking at the same old thing with new eyes, or a different perspective can bring back that challenge on the interest back in work.
I ran an advertising agency for two last decades of the past century, what really kept me in love with what I did was the variety of work that we indulged. There was filming, photo shoots, presentations, exhibitions, and a dozen other disciplines we worked in. Almost everyone who worked there was alive because there was so much excitement due to a variety of challenges.
The same strategy worked for me as a practicing artist. I just don’t stop at painting and art. I love to write, take pictures, meet people, change homes, set up exhibitions, and even take on some odd assignments just for the fun of it. The process of building most projects is similar, irrespective of the end goal of that project. So why not try something new that you have never done before?
Another strategy would be to cultivate love in whatever you are doing. It’s like any relationship, if you don’t energize it or keep investing in it, the cracks will appear. Loving your work belongs to a similar ecosystem of relationships. Ask yourself, what you don’t enjoy or dislike about the work you are doing. Is it the travel time or the people you interact with? Is it the remuneration or the growth prospects? That clarity will help you focus on what you are doing and provide insights to make informed decisions and take corrective actions.
Not a big price to pay for something that you love.
The presence of passion can be the greatest gift you can receive, treat it as a miracle” Wyne Dyer
“Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love” Rumi
