There is a reason why middle age is widely acknowledged as a crossroad for many people. If you are no longer enthusiastic and passionate about your work, you are inexorably setting yourself up for frustration. You will be unable to give your best at workplace and this, in turn, will have a detrimental impact on your performance, productivity, and reputation.
Thankfully, there is still hope for you if you think you are stuck in a nebulous rut with no way out. Here are five creative ways to rekindle your lost passion for work in middle age.
- Find a New Meaning at Work
As we age, our priorities in life tend to assume different shapes and forms. That is invariably the case with a lot of professionals when they hit middle age. Begin reminiscing the time when you first started working. In all probability, there was something about your work that you felt was your calling and had you brimming with unbridled passion.
After working for a number of years, it is natural to lose the passion about something which fascinated you during your younger years. Don’t worry though; there is nothing wrong with you. We all go through these phases in life.
Go back to your work and examine it very carefully. Find out what interests you now. If possible, change your role at work while remaining within your field of expertise. Once you find new meaning at work, the passion will be rekindled and you will be waking up every day with renewed vigor to go after it all over again.
- Keep Sight of the Goal Post
In every job, there will be a time when you will have to do tasks that you detest. This can lower your productivity and make you loathe your work. Unfortunately, most of us spend a lot of time performing mundane paperwork and housekeeping tasks or handling urgent issues and firefighting crisis. This can cause you to burn out rather quickly.
If you are serious about rekindling your lost passion, it is time to realign your true calling and career goals. Don’t get too caught up in non-core activities that are not integral to your work. Instead of dreading and doing monotonous tasks mindlessly, focus on your long-term professional goals. These tasks are nothing but stepping stones towards your goals.
Once you accept them, you may find these tasks to be more bearable, and even pleasant. This can help resuscitate your long-lost passion for work.
- Learn to Delegate
You may have reached a stage in your career where you have subordinates who may be better equipped to handle labor-intensive work like administration, filing and form filling. Rather than spending time on these time-consuming tasks and getting frustrated, get them delegated to your subordinates. This will free up your time and let you focus on things that you actually enjoy doing at work.
If you are a contractor or freelancer, hire part-time workers to help you with these mundane tasks so that you don’t get frustrated or detracted from your true passion. Remember, most people hate time consuming and labor-intensive work. Hence, delegate tasks to those who can do them well with an effervescent attitude. This will give you the elusive peace of mind and let you focus on your areas of expertise.
- Go on a Vacation
Yes, work is stressful and if you continue subjecting your body and mind to stress of this magnitude, it will weaken you mentally and physically. Resultantly, you will start losing your passion for your work. If you want to rediscover the joy of your profession in middle age, it is not a bad idea to embark on a relaxing vacation every now and then because you truly deserve these breaks.
Make sure though, that you don’t call up the office or check your official emails during your trip every hour or so!
When you go on a vacation to enjoy yourself, you will recharge your batteries. As a result, you are likely to develop a fresh perspective about your work and might be able to come up with ingenuous ideas to make your work more interesting. This, in turn, will help you feel passionate once again for your work.
- Challenge Yourself at Work
Most occupations and positions become monotonous with time. Things can exacerbate to such an extent that you are simply not motivated to go back to your office. When this happens, you will no longer find your work challenging enough. The key here is to make your work a perfect blend of both – rewarding and interesting.
Rather than doing your tasks in a monotonous manner, look for ways to make them more interesting. This will stimulate your mind and help you enjoy the work you do. It is always a good thing to be a proactive worker and let your work shine.
So, find areas in your organization where you can improve and go ahead and do it. It will win you kudos from your bosses and also give you a new purpose to come to work every day. Challenge yourself on a daily basis and don’t let thoughts of failure imperil your confidence. Go ahead and do the things that make you feel like a deserved winner.