Energetic Asian professional womanWhat do you LOVE to do? Doing what you’re good at and which serves others is a fabulous way to renew your passion, day to day.

We all get into ruts where the daily activities of our life and work become more “going through the motions” than “going for the gold!”

Yet when we are enthused about the people and opportunities we engage in moment to moment, we are more present, more focused, and more able to leverage our skills in service to others.

You are responsible for your own well-being. By creating avenues for inspirational activity, inside and outside the workplace, you take charge of your own passion.

Stoke Your Own Fire

If your job today doesn’t have enough elements that inspire you, create avenues for personal inspiration. It may require time management on your part and possibly even you “selling” the benefits to your boss and others, but the boost in personal passion will be worth it.

Love to write? Maybe volunteer to write a blog for your department or division. Love to engage with people? Maybe volunteer to interview customers to learn what’s working and what’s not. Love to coach? Maybe volunteer to be a mentor to a new team leader or employee. Love teamwork? Maybe volunteer for a key project team.

You might find avenues for re-sparking your passions outside the workplace, as well.

Love to cook? Experiment with new dishes. When they’re “delicious,” consider presenting your new meal to family, friends, or neighbors. Love animals? Maybe volunteer at your local animal shelfter. Love to serve? Consider volunteering at a local soup kitchen, feeding the homeless. Love to play music and/or sing? Maybe volunteer to perform at a retirement home or hospital.

For example, I’m a member of the Jones And Raine band here in Denver, CO, USA. We do 3-4 free shows annually to support causes we’re passionate about. This Saturday the band will open for Firefall at a fundraiser for Promise Ranch Therapeutic Riding. We’re thrilled to support this fine organization.

Each of these suggestions requires you to change your approach and proactively engage in new activities that leverage your skills & heart in service to others. There is some risk involved. You may not find the perfect avenues on the first try.

Don’t sit and wait – or sit and stew. The possibilities for greater personal passion, every day, are endless.

Please join in the conversation! What stokes your fire AND serves others, at work or in life? How do you make time to engage in those activities? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Get your FREE EXCERPT from my new book, #POSITIVITY AT WORK tweet, written with the delightful Lisa Zigarmi. View our video on why we wrote the book, understand the research on positivity in the workplace, and more!

Photo © iStockphoto.com/csavan

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The music heard on these podcasts is from one of Chris’ songs, “Heartfelt,” copyright © Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). Chris plays all instruments on these recordings.

S. Chris Edmonds

Chris helps leaders create purposeful, positive, productive work cultures. He's a speaker, author, and executive consultant. He blogs, podcasts, and video casts. He is the author of two Amazon bestsellers: Good Comes First (2021) and The Culture Engine (2014).
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Comments

  1. Andy Phillips says

    Funnily enough this came up twice this week with people I coach. How to stay passionate about the thing you are passionate about when you do it everyday. Pretty much everything tastes better when you do it for others. Sometime we lose that connection. Your ideas get the passion going again as we focus on service to others. Great stuff. Andy

    • S. Chris Edmonds says

      Thanks for your comments, Andy! I think we all can easily lose the core purpose of our activities over time. Keeping that “in service” mindset helps reduce that from happening.
      Cheers!

      C.

  2. Infinity Consulting says

    My theory of life and a core of my new book :
    Life is like a Song – a beautiful melody and you are the author of the lyrics – Melody, the invisible source of energy ,motivation and inspiration and If you can see the invisible, you can do the impossible.
    To combine the theory of life with with work into relationship, I often refer to quote once said by Vincent van Gogh
    “One must work and dare if one really wants to live.”-Vincent van Gogh

    However, we must keep in mind the fact that we work to live, not live to work.
    Dave

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