When you hear people say, “I love my job” do you take a moment to truly wonder what it is about their job (and honestly, about them) that causes them to LOVE their job?
I mean, LOVE is really strong word. It means you are “all in” and would do anything for that job. I love people, but loving a job. Yes, that’s me too.
I have loved every job I have ever had.
(Seems kind of fitting given that it is Valentine’s Day this week….)
Here are the jobs I have held:
- I mowed lawns
- I made change at a boardwalk arcade
- I put up party tents
- I was a church organist and choir director
- I worked at a convenience store
- I am a professional bowler and have worked in the bowling industry
- I did transcription for a private investigation firm
- I was a teacher and mathematics coordinator at a school district
- I was a consultant for educational companies
- I wrote six mathematics books
- I managed an instructional coaching program
- I worked as an assessment specialist
- I worked as a staffing and training director and created an onboarding program
- I am a certified professional coach who helps professionals, ambitious about their careers, create their next advancement opportunity
Whew! I have done a lot and there is still a whole bunch more I am hoping to do.
And yes, it is true I loved every job. Now, that job where I put up party tents only lasted six days. My father made a bet with me that I wouldn’t last the week. I won that bet and then quit. (I was 17 and my motivation was in a different spot.)
But each job, even that job putting up party tents, has helped professionally shape me throughout my career. Each job had that certain something I was meant to learn and take those experiences with me to the next one.
As a teenager, I learned about responsibility. I learned about putting in an honest day’s work and being held accountable to getting things done and ensuring that my boss approved my work product. I learned about working with other people. I learned what it meant to be on a team and to own my responsibilities because that contributed to the larger part of the picture. These experiences taught me to lead, to treat people with respect, to honor the vision and mission of the organization, and how to best serve customers. (Just to name a few…)
And because I am grateful for those experiences, I truly believe I couldn’t do the next job without all of the ones before it. It is how we create that next advancement opportunity.
Each day gives us an opportunity to learn something. We take a job because it allows us to gain experience, fulfill our personal and financial responsibilities, and help us figure out what comes next. Whether that next step is within your organization or it’s your opportunity to jump to another organization, that is your next step on your career journey.
Wouldn’t it be great to feel that you “get to go to work” rather than you “have to go to work”?
So, I’m curious. On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is barely satisfied and 10 is highly satisfied, how much do you “love” your job?
Today, I am a solopreneur and work as a leadership and career coach. I truly LOVE my job. I enjoy working with my clients and helping them determine what their next advancement opportunity looks like and how they want to “show up” at work. Being able to help someone figure out what their next career steps look like is some of the most satisfying work I have ever done in my career.
If you would like to learn more about how I help my clients create their next advancement opportunity and define how they “show up”, email me at john@johnneral.com and let’s start a conversation.