To Love What You Do Or To Be Valued For What You Do?

It is easy to say that people want to find a job where they do what they love and get paid for it. I think that is true but can be hard because the realities of life creep in, the bills that need to be paid show up and the overwhelming fact of the matter is you don't always know what you want to be when you grow up. No matter what you do, the more important thing is for people to think that what they do at work makes a difference. The people that you work with day to day are the ones that need to hear and feel that you believe they are a valuable member of the team. If you leave it up to their manager, it may not carry the same weight, who knows how involved they can be with their schedules.

At the end of the day we all want to feel like we are valued, that we would be missed if we weren't there. We need to make sure we are making each other feel that way. I want to love what I do, but I find it more rewarding to have people value me for what I contribute. I could love my job but if everyone thinks I suck at it, that feeling isn't going to last long. But if my team counts on me, even if I don't love my job it is a great place to go to work every day.

Comments

  1. PositiveWunJanuary 23, 2014 at 9:50 PM

    I agree. The one thing that I found also was that there are jobs out there though that you can have both. When I worked for a telecom and was in what i loved to do and was also in a team that believed that is was important to build each other up I loved, absolutely loved, that job. Everyday I felt almost guilty because I was getting paid well to do what, to me felt like, playing. But what made it amazing was I went in and worked in a place where it was enjoyable to be for 40+ hours a week. We had FUN. It was high pressure, and there were many a time where demands from upper management made it feel like you were sitting at the top of a slide full of broken glass with a pool of tabassco at the bottom. But even in those times we, as a team, found humor and mutual encouragement to "rally ourselves". Some would come in early to help, others would leave late, but we worked together and overcame. At the end high fives and fist bumps abounded and we often heard "good eyes" ( to say well done good job keeping your head in the fight and being observant). I loved the place, and the guys I worked with. But the best part is even as a new part of the team I never felt like I didn't belong. I felt like family.

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