How to love your work

Do you love your work? I do! But it hasn’t always been that way. And sometimes it has been that way.

Let me provide an example….

I was beyond thrilled to join PwC as an internal coach. I love coaching; it holds a special place in my heart. I love witnessing the transformative impact coaching has on accountants and advisors. And I really loved knowing that one of the Big Four valued coaching as much as I did.

When initially hired, my role encompassed three primary responsibilities: 1) longer-term coaching engagements for high-potential employees, 2) coaching in the award-winning Discover program, and 3) coaching and facilitation for a new manager experience. This work felt like a dream come true! I loved everything I was responsible for and, after a few years of solopreneurship, I especially loved being back on a team- an entire team of coaches, no less!

However, things took a significant turn one year into the role. Oof. Not only did the things that I loved about the job go away, I was going to have to travel further and more frequently. At the time, my daughter was not quite two and I was still breastfeeding. The last thing I wanted was more travel. Additionally, the purpose of the increased travel was to teach Energy Project philosophies as part of the firm’s Be Well, Work Well initiative. Ironically this intensified travel schedule would have led to emotional burnout and a feeling of living an inauthentic life. I knew that staying in that position would make me feel like a fraud.

So I made the decision to leave the role after only 15-months. I was less concerned about how this decision would reflect on my resume and more focused on how it would impact my future self as both a mother and as a professional.

As a coach, I’ve observed that people often find themselves in loveless work situations due to gradual discomfort rather than sudden changes. Eventually, they wake up feeling resentment or disdain. Recently I’ve heard stories of people writing their employer a Dear John and disappearing abruptly without much consideration. This is a shortsighted move because wherever you go, there you are. Don’t run away from discomfort.

It is better to take some time for introspection and to identify what are you moving towards.

So how can you fall back in love with your work? Check out The Big Leap. This is the book for those feeling a need to change something with their work lives. It suggests we operate from four main zones. Get to know what these zones are about and list out your work responsibilities by zone. Then you will clearly see:

Zone of incompetence- What should I stop doing?

Zone of competence- What should I start delegating?

Zone of excellence- What am I doing that used to light me up but is now a meh?

Zone of genius- If I could do anything, without fear of how will I pay the bills, what would that be?

We see clients become enslaved to their zone of excellence – the space where they excel and are well compensated. However,as the book aptly states: “The problem is that a deep, sacred part of you will wither and die if you stay inside your Zone of Excellence.” Pro-tip: zone of genius work is soul work.

Ultimately, our goal is for everyone to love their work-to feel a deep sense of fulfillment at the end of the day and exuberance to start the next. Be kind to yourself, give yourself some love. Create the space to allow yourself to discover what you truly love doing and build a plan to fall back in love with your work and rekindle that passion.

With love,

Amber