In this post I would like to offer two pieces of advice that may help you become successful as a professional and feel more accomplished in your job.
Follow Your Passion
Following your passion is not a privilege. It is the best strategy for professional success. I don’t believe any person can become a top performer if this person does not enjoy his/her job.
Recently, many articles have been written about Boreout: the phenomenon of people who are so bored at their jobs that they start feeling sick. According to researchers, the symptoms of Boreout syndrome may include: “depression, listlessness and insomnia, but also tinnitus, susceptibility to infection, stomach upset, headache and dizziness.”
In some ways the Boreout is similar to its cousin the Burnout, but it may even be worse. Because perhaps an employee who feels burned-out may recover after taking some vacations or reducing the workload. But in the case of Boreout the solution is probably to find a new job.
An employee who feels bored-out is not likely to be selected for promotion or to be transferred to a more interesting project. The managers can immediately identify a person who is disengaged and has poor performance. So at the moment the employee feels bored-out, it’s probably already too late to find him/her a new position in the company he/she is working for.
So I advise young people to follow their passion. But make sure that, among the professionals that share the same passion, you are one of the best. Follow your passion and strive to be a top performer at whatever you do.
Avoid Negative Feelings
I have observed that most people who are complaining and feeling miserable about their professional lives have the inclination to focus on a single dimension. But in all situations there are multiple aspects, and this creates trade-offs.
For example, let’s say that a professional currently has a salary below average for his/her job. This is an objective fact and this person has all reasons to feel unhappy about that.
But there are many other aspects that should be taken in consideration:
– Perhaps this person is learning a lot and acquiring very relevant experience?
– Maybe this is a very good company that will serve as a reference when looking for a new job?
– Is this person able to work from home? Or is the office very near to his/her house?
– Perhaps this person has a very good relationship with his/her boss and is likely to be promoted?
– Does this person have flexible work hours and lots of time to be with his/her family?
When we take in consideration multiple dimensions, in general our current status will not be so bad when compared to other possibilities.
Therefore we should avoid the trap of focusing on a single issue and learn to appreciate the positive aspects about our jobs.
The cultivation of negative feelings about our workplace creates a downward spiral that always has very bad consequences.
