I hear all the time from people that they want to feel inspired about their work. I want that for you too! Inspiration is a powerful force; it is something that we all want, and it has the power to make us feel that we’re truly living. The problem I see is that most people feel that their work is a direct drain to their inspiration. That is not how it should be. In fact, I believe that your work itself should inspire you. How do you get to that place of inspiration instead of waiting for inspiration to come to you? Here are the 6 keys to unlocking greater inspiration in your working life:
1. Look to Jesus
As believers, we need to look to Jesus for our inspiration first of all. When we’re centered in Him, we can ask Him for inspiration in our work. If we’re looking just for inspiration and not to Him, it’ll lead to perfectionism, performance and we will miss the fulfillment that only He can provide. Know that you are a loved child of God and let all things flow out of that identity in your life, including your pursuit of unlocking greater inspiration at work!
2. Grow your vision
Being inspired about your work starts with you. Knowing your values and cultivating a clear vision and mission for your life helps you to find work that is a good fit, helps you to BE an inspiration and helps you to live from a place of inspiration. If we’re going to be great employees and be inspired in our work, we have to first know who we are, what we want and that inspiration starts with us!
3. Be a life-long learner
Nothing comes easy in the beginning. Inspiration often comes from getting better at our job and in pursuing the skills we need for where we want to go! Be intentional to invest in your learning – practically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.
4. Pursue your passions!
Keep pursuing your interests outside of work. Passion doesn’t always occur at our workplace the way that we’d like. I know plenty of people who have well-paying jobs that they do enjoy, but their true passions are built outside of their job.
5. Serve Others
I love Phillipans 2:4 which says “…do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Now that provides inspiration in our work right there. If we’re an employee that goes to work with this in mind, then we’re looking for opportunities to call the gold out in people, to inspire, encourage, and motivate. Alternatively, if we are finding ourselves mainly looking after our own interests, that takes us down a really hard road as selfishness blocks inspiration. We can say, “Okay, this isn’t what I hoped for… But if God has me here in this season, I have the ability to take steps to find passion in what I do.” When we recognize that ultimately, those steps are almost always relationship-related, then we can always unlock greater inspiration in our work through serving others!
6. Make a change!
We can’t expect to love 100% of our work BUT I would say we need to do everything we can to find a place where we’re going to enjoy at least 75% of our work. Obviously if that’s inverted, and you hate 75% of your work, and you’ve been working on relationships, and serving others already, then, well, you probably need to find a new job. I’m not suggesting that we should hate our jobs and continue to live with it. You have permission to make a change!
There are times when all of us feel uninspired at work, but if we can keep our attitude rooted in Christ, recognize that He always has the best for us and take the steps above, then we can always unlock greater inspiration in our work, no matter the season.
What do you do to get inspired at work? Is there something you know of that helps? I would love it if you share your tips below, so others can learn and grow from your ideas, too!