In The News

In a study released in August 2015, researchers found that contrary to popular opinion, love at first site is not necessary with a potential job. The research was done at the University of Michigan and they suggest that you can choose to change your beliefs or strategies to cultivate passion for your new job or develop better compatibility with the job you already have.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150821111042.htm

Daily Health Tip

In the research study, researchers found that both groups of people – those who followed their passion and those who determined to find their passion in the vocation the chose – were both effective in achieving success in their jobs.

People who selected jobs or careers from the outset that they knew they would enjoy indicated that compatibility was most important to them. In contrast, the other group of individuals didn’t prioritize an immediate fit but focused on cultivating passion and fit to their career over time.

The second group was more likely to prioritize other characteristics of their job or career, other than immediate enjoyment. In other words, they didn’t take a job based on the income but rather their ability to advance in the career or how it fit their lifestyle.

Making Changes

The research offers the promise that if you haven’t found a career for which you are passionate, you can learn to develop passion for the job you already have.  The importance of developing passion is that it improves your overall mental, emotional and physical health by reducing the stress you experience on a daily basis.

Going to work daily where you are stressed, unhappy and dispassionate about the job or career you hold, always wishing you could be doing something else or be somewhere else, increases your stress levels and damages your health.

Carl Newport wrote a great book on just this idea and named it after a quote from comedian and actor Steve Martin, “So Good They Can’t Ignore You”

The foundational principle of the book is that working right beats finding the right work every time.  In other words, you can develop a passion for what you’re doing and therefore live the dream of working your passion.

Developing passion isn’t about just ‘finding’ it, but rather learning it, working at it, understanding the basis of it and taking action toward it.  Even if you are working in a fast food restaurant, you can develop a passion for cooking, business, marketing, ownership or any other of a number of things that all combined are the business of owning a small business.

If you can’t imagine becoming passionate about any aspect of your current job, then maybe there is another position in the company about which you CAN develop a passion. To get there you must become the best person at YOUR job, get noticed and get promoted.

Although there isn’t a Staples “Easy Button” in the game of Life, the hard work and focus you invest now will pay off great dividends in the years to come.

Have a wonderful day!

Your Healthy Life America Team