Am I Supposed to Love What I Do?

It’s getting to be that time of year – I’m not talking about the holidays. I’m talking about bonus season. When anxieties start to build on if you are going to like your number, and/or if you are going to consider your options after it hits your bank account.

You may be asking yourself, how much do I love what I do? How much am I supposed to love it? Is there something else, and ideally something that will pay me the same (or nearly)?

Marcus Buckingham’s 25 years of research on highly-successful people across professions tells us that most people don’t love everything they do. You just have to love 20% of it on a consistent basis, and you’re about as happy as your typical happy professional. The key is finding the moments you love and that give you meaning on a daily basis, as opposed to only a few times a year.

After asking yourself if you are still engaged and inspired by at least 20% of your daily to-do list, you may want to ask some further questions:

1) Do I have the chance to consistently use my strengths at work?; and

2) Am I learning and growing?

No matter how much money you are making, it’s impossible to thrive if your answer is “no” to the above questions.

As I reflect back on my career, I don’t regret the times at work where things were really tough, I regret the roles that I stayed in too long where I wasn’t learning anything. If you fast forward 5, 10 years in your career, what advice might your future self give you?

If you want a reminder on what your strengths are, Buckingham has a great free Strengths Assessment. Access it here.