Day in and day out. You are doing the same routine at work. It can get boring and you can become unmotivated. But there are things you can do to re-inspire yourself. And it has to start with you. “The more mundane and routine your work, the more important it is that you see motivating yourself as an essential part of the job, maybe the most essential part. Because when it comes right down to it, nobody else can motivate you. All anyone else can ever do is talk you into motivating yourself, is sell you on the idea of motivating yourself. You motivate you,” notes business coach Barry Maher, author of ?Filling the Glass. “There’s nobody else who can be with you every hour of the day or the night when all those thousands of little decisions that lead toward your goals or away from your goals have to be made. You’ve got to be your own guru, your own favorite motivational speaker.”
Personal brand strategist and college and career readiness coach for Savvy Solutions Consulting, LLC Shad? Y. Adu suggests helping others outside of your company. “Contact HR to see if you can organize some professional development workshops or hire a speaker to come in and motivate your team. You can also organize a team potluck dinner, community service project, or weight loss challenge. Thinking outside of the box and coming from a service-based context will surely motivate you during the work day,” says Adu.
Start networking. Mngle with and meet new people in your field. This will inspire you. Says Joseph Terach, founder and CEO of Resume Deli, “Actively participate in professional association events. Take on a leadership role and really get involved; you’ll ultimately rub elbows with industry leaders who can shed insights on trends, best practices, etc. that you can bring back to your own work projects.”
Be proactive. Look for new areas of your job you can learn or take on more responsibility. ?”Look for opportunities for growth within your company and pursue them. Don’t wait for permission to make bold action that may advance your career and increase your level of happiness at work,” says Adu. Talk to your boss about exploring new ground. Adu suggests saying something along these lines to your boss: “I feel that I am not being used to my fullest potential. Are there any other possible ways for me to serve the company and enhance my current skill set?”
You will need to show and prove. Don’t show your boss how bored you are. Still tackle the mundane tasks professionally and in a timely manner. “Show your boss you can handle your current routine duties, maybe doing the jobs no one else is willing to do and doing them well. Demonstrate your capabilities and your capacity to grow. Never miss a chance to learn or to grow,” adds Maher.
If you can’t pick up new opportunities within your company, try learning something new outside. “Pursue continuing education. Complete a certificate program (typically composed of several non-credit classes), diploma program (typically composed of several credit-bearing classes) or college degree (Associates, Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, etc.), either part- or full-time,” offers Terach. You can even do this online.
“YouTube, in particular, has tons of instructional videos to help you learn software, processes, etc. that you can then apply to your workplace,” Terach points out.
