Loving Your Job Makes You a More Loving Person

Why loving your job is important

The average person will spend one third of his waking adult life at work. Over a 30-year career, that’s 57,600 hours. That’s a long time and why loving your job is important. Because work is such a big part of life, when we love what we do, all areas of life improve. The love and passion we feel that naturally arises from engaging our talents and making a difference in the world in a way that’s meaningful to us organically flows into our relationships and makes us more loving people because we love what we do.

Unfortunately, most people aren’t doing what they love, and the long-term consequences are showing up in their health, relationships, and other areas of their lives. A Gallup poll recently showed that 70% of Americans don’t love their jobs or feel engaged at work in any meaningful way. This is concerning because a study from Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) has shown evidence that the health and social consequences of someone staying in a job they hate are worse than those that come with being unemployed.

Here are five reasons to love what you do and start working toward turning your passion into a paycheck.

1. It improves your health.

Stress is a factor in every illness from the common cold to cancer because it suppresses the immune system. Jobs we dislike create a lot of internal stress for us. Over a seven-year study, Swedish researchers found that workers from all jobs were 11% more likely to have a heart attack on a Monday morning than at any other time during the day or week. Younger people saw a 20% increase. Researchers said the phenomenon was partly explained by the biological changes that triggered the stress of returning to work. When we love our work, we experience less stress, greater immunity and better health.

2. Your relationships get better.

When we love our work, we don’t drag unnecessary stress home with us that ends up harming our relationships. By enjoying our work, we bring joy home instead and become better spouses, partners, and parents.

3. You’ll have more energy.

When we’re excited about anything, it energizes us. If we’re passionate about our jobs, the excitement and energy we experience from them will beget more energy, creating a positive, upward spiral that will motivate us to accomplish even more. We become more productive and even need less sleep.

4. It boosts confidence.

When we see that we really can use our talents to make a living and be respected for our natural gifts, we feel empowered. It gives us the courage to try new things and take more chances.

5. It encourages learning and growth.

The motivation from loving what we do acts as a natural incentive to finds new ways to do it. We challenge ourselves to be more creative and get better and better at whatever it is, which increases our efficiency and sharpens our skill.