Easier than finding a new job, here are 5 relatively quick-and-easy things you can do to reignite your passion for your current job.

Catherine Conlan, contributing writer to Monster.com, asked me for a few suggestions on how to do this -- and here they are (originally posted on Monster.com, and then elsewhere including the NY Daily News):

Many people have ambivalent feelings about their jobs. Work is a place they go to, do some chores at, and then come home from, without feeling like they’ve grown personally or professionally, or have made a real difference in the world. Fortunately, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to elevate your job from a task to something fulfilling. Here are some small changes you can make to love the job you have.

[1] Talk to your boss.
If you think there are changes that could be made to improve your outlook, let someone know, says Cheryl Heisler, president and founder of Lawternatives. “It’s very possible that the company would rather hear what you are unhappy about and fix it than to see you walk,” she says. “It’s costly to lose a trained employee, and no one wants to lose someone good.”

But don’t just drop into the boss’ office unannounced and say, “I’m bored.” Identify what’s dissatisfying you and come up with some concrete ideas on how to change it before you talk to your boss.
 


[2] Try something new.
“The best way to learn a new skill, demonstrate your potential and get out of a work rut is to take on a stretch assignment,” says Todd Cherches, founder and CEO of BigBlueGumball. “Not only will you be helping out your team or department by making a value-added contribution, but you’ll be enhancing your reputation while challenging yourself to reach new heights.”

 Heisler agrees. “We all like to do things that are familiar, but if that’s all we do, we get bored and lose interest.” Asking for something new and challenging can help “stir up the pot.”

[3] Step back a bit.
Even when you like your job, it’s important to mentally detach and revitalize when you’re not at work, says Dr. Paula Thompson, a career coach. “Studies show that people who spend their non-work time engaged in hobbies, sports and social activities have higher job satisfaction.”

Taking on a new challenge outside of work can be as invigorating as one at work. “The more you love your life outside the office, the happier you will be when you are in,” Heisler says. “Extra-curriculars keep life fun and keep work in its proper perspective.”

[4] Stop gossiping.
Complaining about work with others, especially if it’s just gossip. “Focusing on the negative will bring down your spirits,” Thompson says. “Instead, purposefully develop friendships with your co-workers who love their jobs, and you will find that their passion will be contagious and make you feel better about yours.” 

If the entire work environment is negative, you might have to find a way to shield yourself from the negativity, or, alternately, look for options for boosting morale.



[5] Start fresh every day.
Sometimes wiping the slate clean and starting fresh can help you recharge your batteries, Cherches says. “What if next Monday were your first day on the job?” he asks. “How would you prioritize? What would you start doing? What would you stop doing? What would you wear?” Organizing your workspace, clearing out the inbox, tossing out piled-up paperwork and setting deadlines for projects can all help you find new energy for your job. “Consciously deciding to adjust your attitude and approach your work in a new way may just help you get re-engaged and rejuvenated.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/jobs/small-love-job-article-1.1433016#ixzz2rSFQRfMt

Pedro: Do you think people will vote for me?
Napoleon Dynamite: Heck yes! I’d vote for you.
Pedro: Like what are my skills?
Napoleon Dynamite: Well, you have a sweet bike. And you’re really good at hooking up with chicks. Plus you’re like the only guy at school who has a mustache.

Unlike Pedro, I don’t have a sweet bike. I can’t grow a mustache. I don’t have nunchuk skills, bow hunting skills, or computer hacking skills. Or Napoleon's awesome dance moves.

But I do have some skills and habits that I use pretty much every day that I’m happy to share in order to help others be more effective and successful.

So click here to go to my Hired Guns blog and learn what those five skills are!

While breathlessly watching Nik Wallenda’s teeth-clenching, death-defying, and awe-inspiring tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon last week, I started thinking to myself: This is kind of what being a leader feels like sometimes!

While most leaders are not literally going to plummet to their death if they make a mistake, as a leader it can often feel like you’re all alone in the world, trying to get your people from Point A to Point B, hundreds of feet in the air without a safety net.

So let’s see what, if anything, we can learn from a Flying Wallenda about the solo wire-walking act that leaders have to do every single day:

First of all, you may be asking, “What the heck is a “Flying Wallenda?” For those who may not know, Nik Wallenda, a 7th-generation aerialist from the acrobatic Flying Wallenda family, recently walked a high-wire across the Grand Canyon. Yes, you read that right: The Grand Canyon. Fifteen hundred feet above the Little Colorado River Gorge. That’s the height of the Empire State Building. In a gusting 35 mph wind. On a two-inch wide steel cable. With the world watching. And he did it in just under 23 minutes. Most of us couldn’t walk a perfectly straight line on a sidewalk in ideal weather for 23 straight minutes. If you need proof or want to experience what it was like, you can learn more about it here on the Discovery Channel website.

So while pondering this amazing feat, I was struck with these Ten Life Lessons in Leadership that came to mind:

[1] All Alone in the World – Sometimes, as a leader, it can feel like you’re up there all alone on a high-wire (and/or maybe even like you’re carrying a bunch of other people on your shoulders!). But if you surround yourself with a team of people who care about and support one another and are cheering each other on, it makes the journey much more manageable…and so much more fun.  Whether it’s creating your own personal Board of Advisors, or just having a trusted mentor, coach, colleague, friend, or significant other to talk to, it’s important to build yourself a support network that you can rely on.

[2] Knowing Whom to Listen To…and When – During the walk, Wallenda was hooked up by microphone to his father who was whispering in his ear the entire time – guiding and encouraging him. But while that was helpful at certain points, there were times that Nic Wallenda needed to tell his father to, basically, “shut up,” so he could focus on what he was doing without distraction. So while having a mentor, coach, or advisor is invaluable, there are certain times when you just need to quiet those external voices so you  can concentrate, focus, think, decide, and act on your own. 

[3] There are People Rooting for You… to Fall – The brutal reality is that there were people who were watching, waiting, (and hoping?), for Wallenda to fail. Just like people who watch auto racing just for the crashes, or hockey just for the fights. Similarly, as a leader – for various reasons – there are people who are rooting for you to fail. So it is important to know who you can rely on and trust, and who you can’t. And to surround yourself with people who have your back…and block out and stay away from those who will want to hold you back or drag you down.

[4] Don’t Look Down, and Don’t Look Back – Once you’ve begun your leadership journey, you need to move full steam ahead without looking back. When you second-guess yourself, it only serves to undermine your own confidence and others’ confidence in you. And, while it’s probably a breathtaking view, looking down will only make you dizzy and distract you from reaching your goal. So it’s important to avoid temptations and distractions, as well as self-doubt, and keep your head held high as you venture forward. 

[5] Stop and Catch your Breath Occasionally – A few times along the way, Wallenda stopped and paused for just a few moments. Yes, he just stopped and kneeled down. On the wire. To catch his breath. To take it all in. To re-group, re-calibrate, and re-focus.  Similarly, there are times that, even when there is a sense of urgency and a pressing deadline, leaders need to hit the pause button and take a deep breath before moving on to the next step.

[6] Keep Your Eyes on the Prize – Wallenda had one, and only one end goal: to get from one side of the Canyon to the other safely. That singlemindedness of purpose and unwavering focus led to his success. Too often, leaders try to please everyone and do too many things at once…and end up pleasing no one and getting nothing accomplished. 

[7] Confidence is Key – Harvard professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter once defined “confidence” simply as “the expectation of a positive outcome.” Having faith in yourself, backed up by positive self-talk, will help you to battle the negative voices of doubt and fear (what Seth Godin calls the “lizard brain”). Positivity, hope, and optimism, are crucial ingredients to a leader’s success. During his high-wire walk, Wallenda was talking to himself (as well as to certain “unseen others”), out loud and enthusiastically, from start to finish. As Henry Ford said, “If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” (*For more on Confidence and/or Overcoming Stress & Anxiety, please see these two previous posts.)

[8] Don’t START With the Grand Canyon – As a 7th generation aerialist, Wallenda had been working up towards this tremendous feat practically since birth. From walking on a plank, and later a rope, a few inches above the ground in his childhood backyard, to walking a tightrope across Niagara Falls last year (yes, he did that!), to conquering the Grand Canyon, this record-setting feat was years in the making. So while it’s important to dream big, it is equally important to recognize your limitations and have realistic expectations that will increase your odds of success. And then you can build on, and work your way up from, there.

[9] Practice, Practice, Practice; Preparation, Preparation, Preparation – Cervantes said that “To be prepared is half the victory.” Though we like to say that someone is “a natural” or “an overnight success,” it is more likely that we failed to notice the behind-the-scenes years of blood, sweat, and tears that led them to that point. Leaders need to be willing to take intelligent risks and have the resiliency to bounce back from (the inevitable) setbacks. That’s what separates those who make it across the Canyon from those who don’t.

[10] Reflection, Introspection, and Celebration – Lastly, when Wallenda finally made it to the other side, after the hugs and kisses and pats on the back (and a long sip of water), he took a moment – on his own – to walk back over to the lip of the Canyon to reflect in solitude and silence on what he had just accomplished. When faced with the question, “What next?” and asked about the rumors of his coming here to New York City to walk a high-wire between the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, his response was that he just wanted to rejoice in the moment before thinking about the future. That night was all about sitting down for a Prime Rib dinner with his family.

So as you ponder Wallenda’s amazing feat, and the leadership lessons learned that you can apply to your own life and career, I hope this piece will inspire you to great heights…whatever or wherever they may be.

I really loved my job.

And then my boss walked in one day and informed me that I was being laid off.

That was way back in January 2010...though it's as fresh in my mind as if it happened yesterday. There’s a lot more to the story than that, but it’s what happened immediately after that that I want to talk about.

Upon receiving the news that day, I felt confused, disoriented, shocked, lost. It was around 10:00am on a Wednesday morning, and after going to the same office every day for the past three years, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with the rest of my day. Or my week. Or my life. I guess I was just supposed to go home. But the reality hadn’t really sunk in yet, and I wasn’t quite ready to face my wife with the news.

So I left the office and meandered aimlessly up Broadway with no specific destination in mind. Before I realized it, maybe an hour or two, and 50 blocks, later I somehow ended up at 81st Street and Central Park West, right in front of the American Museum of Natural History. So I went in and just wandered around Africa and Asia for a while, then the Planetarium, before settling under the big Blue Whale.

It Starts with Perspective
But as I was leaving, as I took one last look up at a big dinosaur, something strange happened: a feeling of calm came over me. I gained a sudden sense of perspective that made the layoff seem as though it was not the worst thing in the world, and that is was time for the next phase of my career to begin. So I left the museum rejuvenated and recharged, with a clear head, a fresh perspective, and a renewed feeling of energy. And confidence – from the Latin for “with trust or faith” – that everything was going to be alright.

When you lose your job, or fail at a task, or even when you’re a freelancer out there all on your own, it’s so easy to lose your confidence. Without the support network of colleagues or the guidance of a boss, and other feedback mechanisms, it’s common to have feelings of self-doubt, vulnerability, loneliness, and fear. But confidence is so important that we need to do whatever it takes to get it back, because it’s hard to accomplish anything without it. As Henry Ford said: “If you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.”

I’ve learned from experience over the years that confidence is often the key differentiator between those who succeed and those who don’t. Earlier in my career I learned the hard way that even though I possessed the knowledge and intelligence and experience, I lost out on a number of promotion opportunities simply because I lacked confidence. And it showed.

How to Get Your Groove Back
While there are a lot of different definitions of confidence, I like a simple one by Harvard professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter who defined it simply as “the expectation of a positive outcome.”

So what can you do to regain or maintain your confidence and increase your odds of a “positive outcome?” Here are five quick tips to keep in mind:

1. Build on your past successes and “keep your eyes on the prize.” Stay focused on your ultimate goal. Be ready, willing, and able to bounce back from adversity and set-backs when – not if – they happen. Resilience is key.

2. Leverage your strengths. Don’t dwell on your weaknesses or limitations. Be self-aware about — and make others aware of — what you have to offer.

3. Make everything a learning opportunity. Einstein said: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” Be ready and willing to fail, learn, and move forward.

4. Seek out feedback and create a support network. Build your own personal Board of Advisors. Appreciate that feedback is a gift.

5. “Act as if.” Behave as you believe, and your belief will eventually become reality.

The Three Types of Confidence
Lastly, self-confidence is just one of what I call “The Three Types of Confidence”:

1. Self-Confidence: your belief in yourself.

2. Other-Confidence: your ability to make others feel confident in you (i.e., in your ability and in your potential to succeed).

3. Leader-Confidence: your ability to make others feel confident in themselves (and in their ability and potential to succeed).

Those who are most successful possess and exhibit all three types. But it all starts with Self-Confidence. It’s hard to instill confidence in others when we don’t feel confident in ourselves. It’s kind of like the airplane instructions where they tell you that in case of emergency you need to put your oxygen mask on first, before you can help others.

And keep it in mind that confidence is not a straight arrow, but a roller coaster. Even the most confident people experience nervousness and self-doubt at various times. Especially when pushing themselves beyond their comfort zone. The key to success is the ability to realize it and move past it.

Dos and Don’ts
So, finally, how can you be, act, and appear more confident, all while instilling confidence in others? Let’s start with a few “Don’ts”:

• Do pay a visit to the American Museum of Natural History.  Be sure to tell the brontosaurus that Todd said, “Hi, and thanks again!”

For more inspirational quotes on boosting your confidence, click here.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” — Shakespeare’s Hamlet

We can’t always control what happens to us, but we do have the power to control how we think, interpret, and respond. Irrational thought patterns and overly hasty emotional reactions are among the leading causes of stress and anxiety.

By making ourselves consciously aware of, identifying, and then correcting distorted and/or anxiety-inducing beliefs, we can think and act more calmly and rationally, and ultimately make ourselves less stressed, more satisfied, and happier as a result.

Click here to visit my Hired Guns blog to find out the 5 types of negative thinking...and what you can do about it!