Can You Really Afford To Dislike What You Are Doing?

Some of the most successful people I had the privilege of meeting in my career had one thing in common - they enjoyed what they were doing.  If you love what you are doing, there is very little that can hold you back in life. Look at anyone you think is very successful in his or her field and you will find that these are people who not only identify with what they are doing but also revel in it. There is no denying that the world of business is driven by powerful goals that could lie in the distant future. However, the fact is - there is no point in reaching a destination if you didn’t really enjoy your journey. It is a proven fact that anticipation can be more powerful than the feeling you get by actually accomplishing or achieving something that you have been wanting all along. Think about it - the pleasure you derive from planning a vacation can not only be more but also stay with you for longer than the pleasure you derive from the actual vacation. Sometimes, your vacation itself could turn out to be a damp squib, but regardless of that, no one can take away the intense pleasure you felt in the time leading up to the vacation. This principle applies to your career as well.   Why is it so important to love what you are doing?  Doing something that you love doing comes easily to you. You don’t perceive that as a stressor. Besides, the positive energy you unleash in the process keeps you focused on all the enablers in your work rather than the obstacles that you would normally see. When you drive a car on a freeway at a constant speed you tend to get the best performance from your car as compared to driving in rush hour traffic where you are changing gears incessantly and barely moving. Enjoying what you do is similar to driving a car on cruise control. It takes away all the irritants from your work and allows you to focus on what you enjoy doing and deliver quantum results. The more you enjoy something at work, the better it is for you. You don’t really need motivation since you already have it.   What happens when you enjoy what you are doing? For over three decades now, I have been working out regularly in a gym at least five days a week. I enjoy working out and so don’t really need results to motivate me and keep me going. This allows me to push myself during every workout and I actually enjoy doing that. The strange thing is that results come when I am not even looking for it. Over the years, I have come to realise that the single most important factor in all of this is the fact that I love to work out.  But, when I look around the gym I find a whole lot of people enduring what they consider pain and drudgery of their workout just to get results that often elude them.  

How can you get sterling results when you detest the very activity that is designed to give you results?

If you apply this principle to work you will find that the best sales persons are those who love selling, meeting people, interacting with them and fulfilling their needs. Similarly, the best leaders are those who instinctively think of their organisation and the needs of the people they lead before they think of themselves. These are people who can come up with the big picture even when they are in the middle of a lot of small and inconsequential things.  

Doing what you love is freedom. Loving what you do is happiness.---Lana Del Ray

The important thing is - liking what you do does not always come naturally or instinctively. Sometimes it is an acquired taste! You can start liking something you do or some aspect of your work if you look at it in a positive light and can see it leading you towards a goal that you cherish. The question to ask yourself is -   A. Do you like what you are doing? If the answer is no then you need to dig a little deeper and ask yourself -   B. Is there any aspect of your work that you like? Even if you don’t like your work in totality, you could always like some aspects of it.  In such cases, by focusing on those aspects and expanding it you could derive greater satisfaction and make your work more meaningful. For instance, if you are a program manager in an IT company who doesn’t really enjoy the nitty-gritty of program management. However, you enjoy building relationships and are good with people then you could explore relationship management with your client as your mainstay and ensure that you spend some quality time doing this along with interacting with individual team members and bringing out the best in them. When you break down your work into components that are necessary but not enjoyable and components that you enjoy doing, you allow yourself the luxury of focusing on what you enjoy and delivering superlative results there. In the process, you could also develop a second line of leaders and delegate some of the work that you find stressful while ensuring that the program is on course. This becomes a self-fulfilling cycle and over time you could not only get better results but also end up enjoying what you do, even more. Then there are times when you simply detest what you are doing and regardless of how hard you try, you find yourself unable to change your thinking towards your job. What do you do in such cases? The fact is you are better off looking at another role that entails work that is not only different from what you are currently doing but also continues to leverage your skills nevertheless.   So how do you bring what you like your work or get yourself to like what you do? 1.   Understand what you enjoy doing The key to working in a role where you enjoy what you do is to know yourself first. Knowing yourself means that you must understand what makes you feel really good doing and what is it that runs counter to your personality and values. Every one of us has a value system whether we spell it out or not. If an important part of your value system is to strive for perfection in whatever you do, then a role that requires you to multitask all the time, could leave you with no scope for perfection and in the process, you could end up very frustrated. Similarly, if you are a vegan then working in a meat processing plant may run counter to your core value system.   2.   Break down your work into broad components that you like and those you don’t It is seldom that you dislike every aspect of your work or like every aspect totally. It is usually a mixed bag. There could be some aspects that you like and some that you don’t. A problem arises if what you don’t like is the predominant part of your work. For instance, if you are in a sales role and you find yourself distinctly uncomfortable with people then no matter what you do, you cannot do away with meeting people as a part of your role. So, a role like this could trigger a lot of stress in you. If you are in this situation then exploring a new role that is more aligned with your personality and what you like could be extremely beneficial for your career and could give you a new lease of life.   3.   Sometimes the problem may not be in your role or work If you are a person who is keen on having a high degree of control over your work and calling the shots then the environment that you work in could be a determining factor in your satisfaction levels. In this case, you may find yourself happier in a Start-up environment where you have a greater degree of autonomy than in a multinational where you could be in a narrower role at the same level with more rules and procedures to follow.

4. Believe that you can enjoy your work One of the things that often comes in the way of people seeking out roles and work that is more suited to their values and temperament is the erroneous belief that it is a futile quest.  Some people believe that work will always be something that they are required to do and that there is really not much room to enjoy their work. Such a belief keeps you from exploring things that could provide you with a greater sense of satisfaction and pride. When you believe that you won’t get something more aligned with what you enjoy doing, you either make no effort to get such a role or if at all you do, your effort is half-hearted.  Either way, nothing will change. You owe it to yourself to really like what you are doing!

Life is a journey, not a destination-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

    ------------------- About the Author: Srinivasan is an independent consultant working in the area of strategy and technology interventions in the public sector domain. He has worked in companies like IBM and TCS and has over 30 years of experience spanning 24 countries.