This Valentine’s Day, Fall in Love with Your Job Again

Ah, Valentine’s Day, a time of love and romance, a time of roses and champagne. And the perfect time to fall in love with your job all over again. You remember the early days, when the position was fresh and new; when you woke up in the morning excited to go to work and dreaming about all the fun challenges the day could bring. Chances are, those seem like distant memories now. The infatuation stage has worn off, and you've settled into your responsibilities and duties. Comfort is great, but don’t you miss the passion?

Here’s how to get it back:

Rekindle The flame

What do couples do when the honeymoon stage is over, and their hearts no longer stir at the mere sight of each other?  They rekindle the flame. And that's exactly what you should do with your job: Bring back the element of surprise—infuse a little mystery and intrigue back into your work. Maybe that means mixing things up and doing your tasks in the opposite order than you normally do them. Maybe it means hanging inspirational sayings in your cubicle that make you feel driven and motivated. It could even mean dressing differently. Having a new wardrobe can give you a reason to get excited about having somewhere to go and show it off. Whatever rekindling the flame means to you, make it happen! The sparks will be flying again in no time.  

Reminisce

Sometimes, when the romance has faded and the excitement has dwindled, the best thing you can do is relive the glory in your mind. Those “running hand-in-hand on the beach” moments are not exclusive to romantic relationships. You’ve had some of those at your job; they just played out a little bit differently. Remember the first time you saw your office and sat at your brand new desk, feeling like a total big shot? Remember the first time your boss told you what an amazing job you were doing and how good it felt? Think about those times and how they made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Stirring up those blissful sentiments from the past might just be all you need to relive them in the present.

Learn Something New

Nothing makes something grow old and tired faster than feeling like there's nothing left to learn. Your work routine may have become so predictable you think you know everything there is to know about your job, your company, and the people who work there. Well guess what? There's always more to learn, no matter who you are and no matter what your job is.  Researching the history of your organization may give you a greater appreciation of its mission, vision, and values. Getting to know coworkers you never interacted with before could create new friendships and fresh reasons to look forward to showing up every day. Learning how to do tasks that are outside of your typical job description could not only make your day more interesting, they have the potential to expand your career opportunities. Learning is the ultimate aphrodisiac for the brain.

Focus on the Silver Lining

It can be easy to fall into a pattern of negative thinking. But if you spend your day focusing on everything that's wrong with your job, you're ignoring everything that made you fall in love with it in the first place. You would never have taken the job, much less been excited about it, if there weren’t plenty of great qualities to be appreciated. So next time you find yourself thinking, “I can’t believe I have to go to another waste-of-time meeting,” try looking at it as an opportunity to express yourself, be creative, learn from others, and build rapport with your colleagues. There is always a way to put a positive spin on even the most mundane and annoying activities in life; you just need to put forth a little effort.

All relationships take work. The honeymoon stage can only last so long. And when it ends, staying happy and passionate requires a little bit (or sometimes a lot) of effort. This is just as true for your relationship with your job as it is for your relationship with your significant other. There was a time when you thought your job was the greatest thing since caramel truffles. This Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to start revisiting those old feelings and rekindling your joy.