The Most Important Piece Of Advice I Ever Received : If You Don’t Love What You Do, You Won’t Do It Well!
A Goal should scare you a little, and excite you a lot.- Joe Vitale
We all have those days where we feel like we’re doing something that we don’t love. We might be stuck in a job or career path that doesn’t make us happy, and it feels like there is no way out.
But the truth is: if you keep on going with what you don’t love, eventually you’ll start to hate everything. Change your environment and work on what YOU want to do! You will never regret following your passions because at least you will know who YOU are as an individual and live with purpose. So here are some tips to help you overcome any obstacles that might be in your way.
1. Remember why you started.
This is the whole purpose of why you are doing what you are doing! So it’s good to take a couple of minutes every day to reflect on how far you have come, which will motivate you along the way. Also, think about other people who would be affected if something happened to you or if your work never got recognized for who knows what reason! Then keep working towards your goals, so they don’t fall through. It’ll mean more when something does happen because at least you tried, and no one can say otherwise because nothing was ever given a chance. The only thing holding us back from our dreams is us, so never let yourself fall short of what you truly want!
2. Visualize.
Visualisation is a great way to help us achieve our goals more quickly and with less stress because we are already prepared for what might happen if certain obstacles arise. You can visualize anything that might be in your way, like having to deal with an annoying coworker or venting the anger you feel towards something on paper instead of working on it until you explode (this happens to me all the time, but I learned my lesson!). Imagine how good it feels after completing your daily goals, even if there is nothing wrong except exhausting motivation. Better yet, imagine yourself receiving praise from your coworkers on how well you do! It’s incredible how many people will be rooting for you if you visualize yourself happy and prosperous.
3. Set up a schedule.
This is pretty much needed if you plan on working through your problems because it will give you something to look forward to! But this can be anything, even just an hour during the day where you watch your favorite show or listen to that song that makes your heart skip beats (mine does every time I hear “Happy” by Pharrell Williams). Make sure it’s realistic enough because having too many goals can leave you feeling discouraged otherwise. As long as it works for you, then go ahead and set up a schedule so anytime you think about dropping everything or flipping burgers at McDonald’s for the rest of your life, you picture your dream life and keep moving forward.
4. Take care of yourself.
Ensure you exercise because it releases endorphins which will help you feel better about yourself and more motivated to keep going! It’s also essential to stay healthy because nobody can work at their full potential if they’re constantly sick or injured. Also, make sure you are eating well by packing your meals ahead of time or grabbing something quick that doesn’t take too much effort during lunch breaks (I know this is hard when you have a 9-5 schedule). If your mind isn’t engaged in what it should be doing, then the rest of your body follows suit by not being productive either, so do whatever makes you happy to make sure you eat right!
5. Never give up!
This is the most important thing because this is what separates you from everyone else in your field of work or study; who continues to keep trying when things get rough instead of throwing in the towel and ending it all (not that ending it all is terrible, but there are easier ways like living with regret for the rest of your life). When something happens that lets you down, think about how much more difficult it would be if you had given up trying altogether or entirely dropped off the face of the Earth. Life has its ups and downs, so don’t let go when things get tough because at least you know where you stand compared to not knowing anything. “Life isn’t about waiting for stormy weather; it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”
6. Stay positive!
If you’re feeling angry or discouraged, think about all of your past accomplishments because the little things make you who you are today! Take a look at yourself in the mirror and list all your strong points, or talk with someone close to you who will make you feel good about yourself. It helps me whenever I’m anxious or stressed out by having one person tell me “you got this” repeatedly until my stubborn mind finally lets go of whatever is bothering me, even if that person isn’t around. Remember to laugh whenever something goes wrong because life is only as serious as we want it to be, so don’t let anything get you down because even if it isn’t forever, at least it’s for now. Stress is only temporary, so take deep breaths and know that there’s more to come. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we want, but it can turn into something better than expected if we keep moving forward!
( Read : Neuroscientist Makes Playlist of the Happiest Songs According to Science)
7. Take care of yourself even when you’re mentally exhausted.
This means sleeping enough, eating right, and staying hydrated (water is pretty much your best friend in life)! I mentioned this earlier but made sure that whatever you do, whether taking a shower or watching TV, makes you feel refreshed or enlightened. If you start feeling like yourself again after doing these things, then continue with whatever works for you but if not, take a mental break before continuing.
8. Don’t let anyone bring you down!
Everything has its ups and downs, so whatever someone says about you, don’t believe it unless they have first-hand experience with what they are talking about because honestly, nobody knows you better than yourself, so whatever their motives are for bringing you down, it’s probably for attention or something else that doesn’t concern you anyway. I know this is easier said than done but trust me on this one because the only opinion that matters is your own! “When people talk behind your back, they’re advertising their dirty laundry.”
9. Always strive to be the best version of yourself!
Even if there isn’t anyone else in your life right now, you are still somebody’s reason for living, so be the best person you can be to give others the strength they need to continue fighting through life. You might not see yourself as somebody who makes a difference, but I’m confident that somebody sees you in this light because if they didn’t, then they wouldn’t have said anything about your existence in the first place. As Confucius once said, “Try to make at least one person happy every day…and whenever possible, do things for those people that they could/would do themselves.”
10. Live with no regrets!
Even though it’s easy to say how we should’ve done something differently in our lives, don’t dwell on what happened yesterday because there is no use to it. Believe me when I say this because if you’re still thinking about the same thing from years ago, you’re doing it wrong! Life has a way of working itself out, so focus on what’s ahead. If everyone thought like that, then nobody would get anything done anyway, right?
11. Take time for yourself once in a while (exercise, read a book, do something nice for somebody)!
We all deserve to feel good, and someone will appreciate whatever we do, even if we don’t think they’ll notice it at first. It might be hard to take the time to yourself after working and going to school, but try to make time whenever you can (even 15 minutes is better than nothing). If possible, take some alone time because that’s when things get done the best! “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
12. Be spontaneous!
Do whatever makes you happy without thinking about what other people might think or say because it doesn’t matter anyway. I can pull off some pretty crazy stunts to make myself happy, and it usually works out for me in the end (sometimes, not always, but it all depends on my mood). Not everyone will understand, but sometimes, that doesn’t even matter because your happiness should never rely on somebody else to give meaning to your life. If someone pulls something that’ll upset you, don’t hesitate to confront them about it because if they care enough about you, they will take what they did back/apologize.
13. Look at the bright side of everything, even if it seems impossible!
Once again, I mentioned this earlier, but when you look for something in a situation, you’ll see it, and when you don’t, nothing will seem possible, so be patient and positive things will come your way. It’s always better to look on the bright side rather than give up because what might seem like a challenge today could be easy for you later on, so focus on finding the best solution to your problem(s) instead of wallowing around in self-pity all day about how unfair life has been to you lately! “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
If you’re currently doing something that feels like a chore, it doesn’t have to stay that way. You can find your passion and live out the things you love in life by following these three simple steps from Dr. Seuss’s Oh The Places You’ll Go!
1) Find what makes you happy
2) Take an honest look at yourself
3) Start living where those two intersects are located.
Once you do this, success will come your way because of all the hard work and dedication put into making sure everything works together flawlessly for maximum productivity and happiness. Remember, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”