I recently came across an article about employee engagement in the US, and it referred to a recent Gallup Poll survey that found that 71% of employees are NOT ENGAGED in their jobs.
At first I was shocked by this figure but then I got to thinking about people that I know and how they feel about their work and I have to say that it sort of rings true.
Then today, a friend shared another unrelated study finding by Harris Interactive that states that only 20% of employees are passionate about their work.
So, while these two studies looked at different aspects of employee engagement, what becomes abundantly clear is that if you aren’t passionate about your work, there’s a very good chance you won’t be engaged at work either.
I know that is glaringly obvious but the thing is – if it’s so obvious, why are only 2 in 10 people “getting it”?
Why is is that people are going through their adult lives forgetting about their passions, or worse yet, never even finding them?
What happens if you live your life without following your passions (besides the obvious regret and sense of lack of accomplishment)?
“The saddest people I’ve ever met in life are the ones who don’t care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there’s nothing to make it last.”
― Nicholas Sparks, Dear John
I suppose the opposite holds true as well, then….
“Work? I never worked a day in my life. I always loved what I was doing, had a passion for it.”
– Ernie Banks
Wouldn’t it be nice to be one of the 20% who see their work this way?
There are basically 2 situations that are at play; either you know what your passions are but you are not following them, or you simply don’t know what your passion is.
Now, if you fall in this first category, you need to make some life altering decisions and I suggest you start by reading The Lifestyle Facelift Roadmap (you can download that on my home page if you haven’t already).
However, if you fall into the second category, you need to discover what your passions are either by trial and error (and hope for the best), or you can take a simple test and really clarify what your passions are.
A great resource is from the authors of The Passion Test, Chris and Janet Attwood. On their site, you can learn all about the 3 steps to living with passion and can even register for their Passionate Life Secrets Program where you can take the test that includes a coaching session from a certified Passion Test facilitator.
As a minimum, I suggest you read their best-selling book, The Passion Test available on Amazon.
Good luck, and remember that Life is about the Journey, not the Destination!
