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Are you bored with tying your shoes? You know,
cross the laces; one end under; make a loop; wrap it around; blah,
blah, blah. Not the most exciting of pastimes. But it didn't used
to be that way. Remember when tying your shoes was the most consuming
task in your life? Boy, those were the days. Sure it was tough to
learn, but WOW-Mom was so proud. You could strut around kindergarten
with the confidence that only comes from self-tied shoes. Yep. You
were pretty hot stuff.
So what happened? Where's the magic now? None of
your friends care that you tie your own shoes. It's not even fun
anymore! So many things in our lives follow the same pattern: The
challenge of a new skill, followed by the excitement of mastery,
followed by the sheer boredom of routine. Unfortunately, your job
can follow this pattern too. What's even more unfortunate is that
most people don't even try to fix it. Ask yourself, Who would you
rather have cut your hair: the person who's excited about making
you look fabulous, or the person who's thinking about what movie
to rent when he or she gets off work? Who would you rather be: the
stylist who makes people look fabulous, or the barber who's seen
every Rocky movie twice? People need to get re-excited with their
jobs. Here's how:
Think back to your first six months on the job,
when everything was new and exciting. Now try to remember an instance
during this time when you met someone new. You probably had the
following the conversation:
YOU: Hi. My name is
Chris.
PAT: Hi. I'm Pat. What do you do, Chris?
YOU: Well, Pat, I'm a Cereal Box Quality
Control Specialist.
PAT: Wow. So what is it you actually
do?
YOU: I make sure the backs of cereal
boxes are colorful and attractive.
A-HA! See? Why did you choose that detail of your
job? A Cereal Box Quality Control Specialist has many responsibilities-why
did you focus on just that one? Because it was your favorite part.
Sure, cereal boxes aren't all that spectacular, but you were excited
enough to tell Pat about the colorful, attractive backs! The back
of the boxes-that's your thing!
Seriously, you've got to remember why you took
the job. If it was only for the money, don't expect excitement in
the first place. Hopefully, there was something about the work that
intrigued or moved you. When you describe your job, usually the
first thing that comes to your lips is the reason you're doing it.
After a few years, that thing becomes boring because you do it so
much you take it for granted. You've got to fall back in love with
your work.
You need to refocus on what started it all. The
knots you tie to keep your shoes on are actually pretty fascinating.
Ever wonder why the laces don't just slide apart? When two things
are so close they touch, the friction between the two creates an
energy strong enough to hold them together, forming a solid bond.
Still bored with tying your shoes? So was the person who invented
Velcro. He's rich. |
