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.....