Do you love your job?

I spoke to a friend the other day who I had worked with previously on a video game project. She's an artist, but she couldn't continue with the project for financial reasons. When I chatted with her over Yahoo, she told me about her job in corporate America, and I asked her some details about her responsibilities. I asked her if she enjoyed it, and she told me she did. I asked her what she enjoyed about it, expecting to find some description of her tasks that revealed new talents and interests she didn't know she had. On the contrary, she told me a story of a conversation with her boss where he noticed she was unhappy there, and she said she decided to start enjoying her job because she spent so much time there instead.

Now, to be honest, I think she just convinced herself that she enjoyed the job as a matter of corporate political expediency, when the truth is she doesn't really enjoy it after all. She's an artist, and that's what she enjoys doing. Her job is something she tolerates, but she's convinced herself she enjoys it because she thinks that's what's expected of her. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are lots of people who sincerely enjoy working in an office, and that's fine. But I suspect most of the time, it would be sufficient for an office that the person holding the job doesn't dislike the job - they know what their job duties are, they're willing to do them, and they do them and do them on time.

So what does that mean for you? Well, if you have loftier goals than your current occupation, that's okay. You shouldn't feel obligated to love a job. Just do what you know you're supposed to do, and keep good relations with your employer. Meanwhile, you can seek a strategy to get from where you are now to where you want to be, whether that be a strategy to get your dream project launched, or an online business to provide you residual income, or whatever it may be. In fact, email me if you want some assistance with this - I'll coach you through it free of charge. (And in this economy, free is good!)