WHEN YOU WANT TO DO LESS, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO DO MORE… OF WHAT INSPIRES YOU

Take on more responsibility? How could more work be inspiring?!

When we do work that inspires us, even in a small way, the amount of fulfillment we experience is exponential. Even if we are spending more time, being responsible for contributions with meaning to us as individuals make us feel like the superhero’s Merriam Webster wants us to be.

When we’re feeling uninspired at work, we tend to slow down. We might put less of our heart into our daily activities because our heart just “isn’t in it.” But we’re only welcoming less fulfillment because we’re no longer feeling great about our contribution.

Sometimes when we’re feeling overwhelmed, we need to actually do more… of the work we love. What parts of your job initially attracted you? You might know immediately that you love helping people or perhaps your first response is “the money” (but that’s the what, not the why). Somewhere, you have nuances that reflect parts of what your true self enjoys about contributing to an organization.

Maybe it’s problem solving, working with a team, creating procedures or implementing ideas. Maybe it’s technical details, bringing organization to chaos, delivering great service or making clients’ lives easier. If the answer doesn’t come immediately, sift through to find a reflection of the inspired “why” and a glimmering aspect of purpose that once shined with the hope of personal fulfillment.

Identify a fulfilling part of your job and work to enhance it. Do it more, do it even better, or get training. Look at promotion opportunities or discover what new tasks or roles you can take to change it up a bit.

Is there a small or large change you can make in your current job that would make a big difference for you? Ask for what you want. So many opportunities are left on the table because we try to predict an answer based on assumptions. Advocate for yourself if no one else is advocating for you.