A good friend of mine is in the midst of a career transition and she was recently at a conference where she heard one of the presenters talk about how careers and jobs should be “occupassions”, not occupations. I love that word: occupassion and wish I could give credit to the individual who used the term. It says so much about the importance of doing what you love so that you can love what you do.
As a career coach, I speak with people constantly about career choices and find that many of us have fallen into careers or jobs by default. Our careers are something we picked as a major in college at age 20 or perhaps it is something that we once felt motivated by and now, 10 or 15 years later, our life has changed, we have evolved and it doesn’t motivate us anymore.
Career satisfaction begins with doing something that aligns with what we value and what motivates us. When we align with what gives us meaning, we love what we do because we are doing something that we love. We get to wake up in the morning and actually say, “I love my job!” And, when you can say that, it really is so much more than just a job. It is so much more than “work” because it doesn’t feel like work at all. For those in career transitions (and even for those who aren’t), you have an opportunity to consider this concept as you shift to your next career move. Why not consider an occupassion instead of the typical occupation? Why not wake up every day and say, “I love my job”? Imagine the positive impact you can have when you do what you love and love what you do? I believe it can create a ripple effect of countless opportunities for you and for those with whom you interact.
