Hey Assata

How have you been navigating the last few months? Yes, I would really love to know, so reply to this email!

As we continue navigate the twists and turns in our careers, one sentiment often overlooked is the profound impact of love or joy in our work. Not the whimsical kind, but a focused attention, deep curiosity, and connection to what you do and how it can reshape the way you experience your professional life by creating opportunities for meaningful work.

If Developmental Psychologist, Matt Bateman is correct in saying "our work grounds our self-esteem and our efforts, skills, presence, and knowledge make it possible", then satisfaction and love for your work become becomes paramount in finding fulfillment in your career. After all, you've spent a great deal of your childhood preparing for it and your most vibrant years engrossed in it; then I hope, exploring the possibility of loving your work is worth considering ........ well maybe 🤷‍♀️.

Love in your work isn't just a feel-good notion; along with curiosity and attention, it's an important ingredient that can put you in a state of flow, where time escapes you, and the world around you fades. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coins this sate as "the psychology of optimal experience," (happiness) and it's important in helping you truly enjoy not just work but your life because you continuously engage in meaningful work pursuing whatever you are doing for its own sake. This can require effort. If you've tasted this joy in your work, I'd love to hear your experience! If it seems idealistic or unexplored, would you be willing to join me in the journey to discover it and infuse it into your professional life?

To contextualize this, let's turn to a definition of love that has guided my personal and professional relationships, which I find equally applicable to the work:

“Love is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth… Love is as love does. Love is an act of will — namely, both an intention and an action....” - Scott Peck

What resonates about this definition is its emphasis on intentional action over fleeting feelings (pleasant or unpleasant), providing power through choice. Emotions are undoubtedly part of your decisions, but understanding love as an intentional act can guide your actions, transforming your relationship with your work. It's a sobering and powerful because you are choosing.

Your Path: Choosing Love & the Power of Presence

So, what could intentionally loving your career look like for you? Whether you've chosen your path, landed there by necessity, or meandered through networking, consider infusing your professional life with love and joy. Here's how you can begin:

  1. Emotional Intelligence in Action: Become aware of what you have agency over in your work. What can you extend yourself for to foster growth? Perhaps it's the meticulous attention to details or the genuine smile you offer customers. The truth is you decide the quality of your work, you alone have control over your effort.

  2. Know Your Strengths: Ensure the challenge of your work matches your skill and strengths. Avoid the pitfalls of boredom or frustration by aligning the difficulty or ease of the tasks with your capabilities. Too easy  and it leads to boredom and too challenging and it leads to frustration and overwhelm. Your self-esteem and confidence can take a hit and if you're waiting to believe in yourself to do the work, the motivation may never come leaving you stuck and underperforming. This downward spiral of dissatisfaction and lack of fulfillment can follow you for most of your career so Stop and notice!!

  3. Ignite Introspection: Slow down and reflect on how you perceive challenges. Listen to your internal dialogue during tough times. Do you believe in your ability to overcome obstacles? Do you find yourself wanting to be there or help solve problems or are you truly over it? What's your general mood or energy level when your'e working or in the office? Reconnect with the passion that led you to your current role, try to align your work with your core values, and reignite your enthusiasm. You can turn this experience around!

  4. Try a New Thing: Introduce novelty into your routine. Whether it's changing how and when you respond to emails (btw, we can make poor decisions when we are hungry, tired, ill), having lunch with someone from another department, or delegating tasks you don't enjoy or need to do yourself- let it go, embrace a beginner's mindset. Experiment without expectations, and let curiosity guide you. There's a lot you don't have control over in this world but for those things that are within your control they are key to more fulfillment and love in what you do. 

  5. Reframe Your Perspective: Shift your outlook on your role. See beyond the title to the impact you make. We all want to be valuable to the group i.e. company or the world. For example, a librarian may think, "I make learning easier for others to learn and offer direction," or a teacher or parent may think "I shape minds, influence behavior and impact the world we live in". This can transform your sometimes mundane experiences into a meaningful contribution especially when you've been doing it a while or your feel underemployed.

"Only direct control of experience, the ability to derive moment-by-moment enjoyment from everything we do, can overcome the obstacles of fulfillment" -Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

So, what's getting in your way? 

 

Make Your Move Challenge:

This month, I challenge you to:

  1. Infuse one aspect of your career with attention, novelty, and intentional love and see what happens.

or

  1. Complete the sentence, "I knew I loved this work when...." so you can rediscover the love and joy of your work or accept that it may be time for a change.

 

Here's to a month filled with self-discovery, intentional actions, and the love your career deserves Assata!

Warm regards,

Assata

P.S Your song !https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiR6sU1igKM 
Assata Omowale
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