How excited are you about the ‘pieces’ of your job? Are you in the ‘fresh’ stage of finding it all exciting? Or a ‘stale’ stage where most days you think ‘Been there, done that?’
For me, the travel part of my job has become a bit stale. I didn’t even realize this until my flight this week. I was on my way to Florida to work on Sharpenz. The process was like many other trips until I sat down behind a dad and his daughter. These two strangers reminded me the true joy and wonder of flying!
The girl was bout 12, and from her comments, hadn’t flown since before 9/11 (she must have been a toddler!). The dad was patiently, and with animation, explaining what was happening from the time we boarded.
He explained:
- How the seats recline – and that if you move them all the way back, it affects the person behind you – so be careful (love his consideration for meJ behind her).
- The de-icing process (it is still cold in Milwaukee in the mornings).
- How the light and air controls work.
- And on and on.
But the magic was at take off – the wonder she expressed as 100+ passengers, in a big ‘metal box’ lifted off the ground!
I smiled the whole time thinking – YES! This is awesome! We can get from HERE to THERE so quickly in the sky!
As I overheard this exchange between father and daughter – I started thinking about other ‘pieces’ of what I do that might feel a little stale right now. How can I recapture some of the wonder about this career I have chosen and am honored to have!
What about you? What ‘pieces’ of your job might feel stale? Want to try and capture some wonder too?
I came up with several tips:
- Look at your job with wonder. I know CRM and sales reports aren’t fun…but imagine how that process worked just 20 years ago! Faxes, handwritten reports, overnight mailings to the manager, etc. What technology has done for so much of this is truly amazing!
- Talk to a ‘Rookie” – ask them what they are enjoying or what pieces of the job they are trying to understand better.
- Mentor someone! Taking on a mentor role can change your outlook. That’s why mentor programs are still growing -mentors get as much (if not more) out of the arrangement than the mentee!
- Think about ALL those people without jobs right now – how excited they would be to have your job – even with all the stale pieces that come with it.
- Make a list of why you do what you do. What is the value to others, the world, your family, yourself for the job you do? Look at the list – would these people be better or worse off if you weren’t doing these things?
If none of these work to bring some energy and excitement (even a momentary glimpse) then it may be time for a new career for you. We spend too much time in our careers to be stale for long. Rejuvenate, revigorate and rejoice for yours! You might find some wonder in the process.
