Do What You LOVE

Do what you LOVE. LOVE what you do.

Growing up, my mom offered me words of loving wisdom along these lines. As I was deciding on colleges and employment, she would remind me that we spend more time at work during the week then we spend with our loved ones. As such, we better make sure that we enjoy what we do.

For most of my career, that’s been the case. The key is being very honest with yourself regarding what you enjoy – what brings you joy. While not every aspect of every job could possibly be joyful, it’s taking the good with the bad and making sure there’s more good than bad.

My job requirements boil down to four key attributes:

• 1. I want to do something that is important – a noble cause.


• 2. I want to be challenged, to learn, and to grow.


• 3. I want to have fun. It doesn't have to be all fun and games. For example, I’m an engineer at heart so solving tough problems is what I consider “fun”.


• 4. I want to go home every day with a smile on my face and a bounty of energy that flows over into time with my family in the evenings and weekends. (Okay, that’s more aspirational than practical but you get my drift. I want to have sufficient work-life balance that when I’m with my husband and sons, I’m present, joyful, and energetic – and not pooped, stressed out, and overwhelmed.)

Take time to think about what is really important to you and list out your key job requirements/attributes. Then compare what you’ve listed with what you are experiencing in your current job and work-life needs. What do you want to keep the same? What do you want to change? What are you willing to do to get there?

LOVE WHAT YOU DO.

Please note that I purposefully choose “enjoy” versus “happy” since enjoyment is the act of taking delight or pleasure in an activity or occasion – activity being the work you do. Whereas happy is more an end state than the journey.

Truly, my wish for you is both: enjoyment and happiness.