There are three basic approaches to work: is it a job, a career, or a passion? Depending on which type of work you are in right now, the things that give you satisfaction will vary.
• If you work at a JOB, the compensation aspects of the position will probably hold more appeal than anything else, and have the greatest impact on whether you stay or go.
• If you work at a CAREER, you are looking for promotions and career development opportunities. Your overall satisfaction is typically linked with your status, power, or position.
• If you work at a PASSION, the work itself is the factor that determines your satisfaction, regardless of money, prestige, or control.

Although these are generalizations, you probably find that you get satisfaction from some aspects of your work more than others. Are there some aspects that meet your passions more than others, and can you find ways to build on those aspects and gradually decrease the time and energy spent in the other aspects of the job? Also, a choice to work at something you are passionate about does not mean you have to sacrifice money or other compensations, indeed, in my framework, the more you work at your passions, the more satisfying your life will be in all realms.

Building Job Satisfaction and enhancing your Passion at work

Once you have identified the blend of status, power, or intrinsic enjoyment that need to be present in your work for you to feel satisfied, you then need to work on some of these seven 'ingredients' for a satisfying job:

• self awareness
• challenge
• variety
• positive attitude
• knowing your options
• balanced lifestyle
• a sense of purpose
  

Self Awareness
The first step in the search to find your passions at work is to know yourself. If you understand your strengths and weaknesses, you can identify professions that will help you to build on those strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
It is difficult to feel satisfied with something you aren't very good at, so rather than spend time berating yourself about it, take a long hard look at the things at which you excel, and try to find a position that uses some of those skills. another important aspect of self awareness is to have a good understanding of your personality traits and your preferred style of working. Make a list of the things you value in l ife, such as honesty, connectedness, creativity, social interaction or contribution, and those things that would score lower on your list of values, such as orderliness, tidiness, etc.By increasing your self awareness, you can work towards the ideal blend of compensation, status, and intrinsic reward (passion) that suits you. Knowing this will help you to set goals to move towards that ideal position, and make steps towards living a more passionate life.
The stronger the match between your preferences and the requirements of the job, the more potential for job satisfaction you have. The remaining six ingredients determine how much of that potential you actually achieve. More on these next time.....

Judith Orloff in her book, Positive Energy, has ideas about how to locate your inspiration, especially in the workplace. She says, “inspiration epitomizes positive energy: it’s seminal to being joyous and rambunctiously alive. You can’t be creative without inspiration”.

To me, to be inspired is to be passionate. They are almost synonymous terms. Judith goes on to say, “Inspiration brightens the light around you and people instinctively respond. Poetry, music, and art are ways to creatively celebrate existence. To maximize our energy, we must search for our passions until we find them.”

Take an inspiration Inventory to find passionate work, hobbies and the miracle of small moments. Here’s how Judith says to do this:

The focus is on helping you to find work you truly love, or show you how to reinspire your current job, even tiny bits of it. You can start by keeping an inspiration journal, to remember all inspiring inklings.

Step #1 in a journal define the conflict about your job

Step #2 Ask yourself these questions;

Why doesn’t my job inspire me? Pinpoint the cause

Is it the particular circumstances – your boss, office politics, or irritating coworkers? Do you dwell on all the negatives, rather than looking for a piece of your work that could give you more juice?

The most basic issue: am I following my heart’s desire or mired in a career that doesn’t feel on center for me?

Can I work within the system for change? Or do I need to seek another job?

Step #3 Modify your current work situation

Re-inspire your job:

· does the lack of passion come from difficult relationship, not the work itself? If there is bad energy, try to correct the situation instead of aggravating it. Be the bigger person. Start being pleasant instead of prickly. Do everything possible to shift antagonism

· don’t expect your boss to be a mind reader. Instead of stewing in boredom or discontent, express your needs. If you know how you’d like to better your job, explore options. See if they are doable within the framework of your environment. The point is to risk. You’ll never know what’s possible until you do.

· Intuitively micro-analyse your day. Look for any aspect of your job that has some sparks. Remember what initially attracted you to the job other than money. Also notice what perks your magic up and relieves apathy or fatigue. When you hit upon it, you’ll experience a more alive feeling, an excitement, or simply a gentle interest. These are signs of life force in your work. Spend more time in these areas. Document them in your journal. If you find that having lunches with clients, and giving presentations are things that stoke your energy, whereas working in isolation brings your energy down, take note of that and see if you can reprioritize aspects of work that feed you.

· Gravitate to coworkers who inspire and energize you. Spend more time on those aspects of your job. Avoid anyone who drains you.

· Make your work about service and meaning: how to make a difference in the world. This can be as small as being kind to others and injecting friendliness into your milieu, which will nurture you too. Turn people on to ideas to better the environment and the world. Get young people connected with old people and vice versa.

· Framing your work in service keep you aligned with inspiration and passion. Whatever your job, the ethics and love with which you conduct yourself, can be of service and spread inspiration.

Step #4: consider changing jobs and/or embrace a passionate hobby

Make a move: If you’ve tried to re-inspire your job, but the situation is untenable, you may want to look for another job. It doesn’t have to be an upward move, a lateral move that re-energizes you is progress.

If your career isn’t your passion, you may be ready for a larger change.

Many people go for counseling when they are on the verge of a transition. When we mature, our interests may evolve and we deserve to do work we love. Being impelled by passion is a blessing and a gift in life, but it does arrive through investigation, following your intuition, the willingness to take risks.