3 Steps to Fall in Love with the Project you Hate
[If you’d rather have me read this to you, click here!]
In honor of Valentine’s Day later this week, I want to give you a little gift to help you love your work a little bit more.
As a side benefit, this will also give the other parts of your life some extra feel-good vibes - something we could ALL use more of these days, right?
First, think of a project that you’re working on and which you’re REALLY struggling with.
(I know you probably don’t want to think about it any more than necessary, but just bear with me.)
How would you like a quick exercise for getting some more motivation around this project, and maybe even enjoy doing it?
You can make this happen by looking at your values. Let me explain.
Your values are traits or qualities that are REALLY important to you.
They’re the characteristics that are so much a part of who you are that things that are aligned with them feel right, and things that don’t feel wrong.
They make you feel energized and get you inspired to do something and feel fulfilled by it.
On the flip side, when you’re doing something that ISN’T aligned with your values, you’ll feel a lot of resistance to it.
If you MUST work on that misaligned task, it will often be in order to prevent something undesirable from happening (like getting reprimanded by your boss, losing a client or maybe even your job.) What this means is that any motivation you may have for doing this kind of work is based on fear. Not from actual inspiration.
This not only makes this project feel like a nightmare to complete, but it also doesn’t end up being your best work because your heart was never in it to begin with.
Now coming back to that project you’re struggling with, how can you infuse more passion into it?
The way to do this is by identifying your core values and finding a way to fold them into your work. Let’s dive into this together.
Step 1 - Spot your core values
Generally speaking, which values are most important to you?
Let yourself rise above just thinking about work so that you can get more of a big-picture, objective perspective on this.
Some examples of values are freedom. Autonomy. Beauty. Honesty. Professionalism. Respect. Communication. Connection to others. And Joy.
Consider the following:
When in your life have you felt really in flow and like things were going well? What values were you tapped into in those moments?
Remember times when things were NOT going well. What values were missing or were in conflict?
What are some qualities of people you admire and which you want to embody and emulate?
If there’s someone who makes you cringe, what values are this person going against?
These questions can help you get clarity on which values are most important to you.
Now, make a list of the five that feel most significant.
When you're done with that, pick three as your top core values and circle them.
Then out of those three, put a star next to your favorite one.
Step 2 - Spice up your project with your values
Which one(s) of your core values can you connect to your project?
For instance, let’s say that you need to create a presentation and Connecting to Others is one of your core values.
Then as you work, focus on how this presentation will create this connection and let that intention serve as the motivation that pulls you through to completing it with gusto.
If one of your core values is Autonomy, what part of this project can you take ownership of? Discuss this with your boss and/or your team and relish taking the lead in this area.
If Joy is one of your values, how can you create more of this while working on the project?
Would it help to have a change of scenery? Or have some music on as you work? (I’m a HUGE fan of Focus@Will, by the way).
Or, think about what kind of joy your finished product will bring to others.
Trust your gut to let you know what combination will bring some spark and pleasure to your task.
Step 3 - Embrace the connection
Now that you know which of your values will keep you passionately committed to your project, how can you remember this connection and keep it at the forefront of your mind as you do the work?
Do you like inspirational quotes? Turn this tie-in into a sentence that you can read when you’re in a slump. Write it out and post it by your computer or make it your lock screen on your phone.
Are you a visual person? Find a photo that reminds you of your value coupled with your project and put it where you can glance at it when you’re losing steam.
Then block out some quality time to spend on your new crush ;)
Here’s to loving your work again!
P.S. - Want to go a little deeper with this? Get on my calendar for a 20-minute Career Values Consult during which we’ll talk about where your values are misaligned with your current job, and the proactive steps you can take to reclaim your passion and fall back in love with your work.