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What’s Love Got to do with…Work?

Depending on where you are in your relational journey, this time of the year may stir feelings of great joy, happiness, resentment, or perhaps even apathy.  For many Valentine’s Day serves as a painful reminder of what once was and what might have been. For others it is a time of great celebration and empowerment. Like some, I spent many years loathing what I considered a pointless commercialized waste of a day. However, some years back I had an “aha” moment regarding the concept of love that completely changed my mind.

It used to be that love was reserved only for somewhat objective values that society considered sacred such as a family, marriage, or faith. Things have changed. Today, what’s sacred for you may not be sacred for me. My neighbor may love his grandmother, and I may love pizza with equal enthusiasm, and both values are seemingly acceptable. While the objects of our affection have changed over the years, it is still generally understood that the word “love” is reserved for that which we feel strong passion. However, even with the range of things that people seem to love, it is a wonder that work is not included by the majority.

According to data recently released by Gallup, only 13 percent of employees worldwide are emotionally invested or engaged in their work. 63 percent of employees are unmotivated and unlikely to go the extra mile in their capacity, while 24 percent are “actively disengaged” and unproductive. In other words, approximately 87 percent of workers worldwide are stuck in a career that they do not enjoy, leaving 13 percent of workers who have the pleasure of truthfully saying “I love what I do.” It seems that when it comes to work, many reference the famous Tina Turner song, and ask “what’s love got to do with it?” In my experience, a lot.

When passion is put into the same equation as work, the results are magical and the return is far greater than what can be quantified. When we look at the likes of world-changers like Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, or Michael Jackson we see the power of passion in work. Likewise, for the average employee who is passionate about his work, the difference is clear. While their efforts are still results-driven, they consistently exceed expectations in all areas including customer service, preparedness, teamwork and collaboration.

I once heard a saying that if you have to work for a living, you might as well enjoy it. If you are part of the lucky 13 percent that is emotionally invested in what you do, you understand the value of that statement. If you are not yet part of that small percentage, perhaps it is time to become engaged or pursue that passion? Either way, here’s to a wonderful Valentine’s Day and the remaining 364 days of a year that we can actually add work to the list of things we feel strong passion for.

*Photo courtesy of Marcus Lewis
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Andrena Sawyer is the Founder and President of P.E.R.K. Consulting, a nonprofit and small business consulting company. In addition to her work with nonprofits and start-ups, she leads workshops on personal and professional development for women. Much of her content can be found in her eBook, The Other Side of Assertiveness.