Are you motivated at work? Perhaps you’re like many people, and you love your job and your co-workers. So you need no motivation. Or maybe you’re like many other people. People who don’t love their jobs and may or may not love the people they share their workspace left.
If you’re one of the folks in that latter group, why do you continue to do the same work that leads you to fume to your friends and family? Doesn’t it get tired, depressing, frustrating and annoying? Speaking from experience, yes it does. So what do you do about it?
Well, you could get a new job. That, however, is often easier said than done. You have to be sufficiently motivated to look for a new job. We all have created an imaginary "fill line." You know what the fill line is, don’t you? It’s when you’ve "had it up to here." But oftentimes, we manage to discount any effort to find other suitable employment once the line has been reached. "It’s really not so bad here," and "They pay me well" are two two common discounts. So this new job option really requires you to say "enough is enough" and to seriously look for the exit.
If getting a new job isn’t high on your list of priorities, then it’s time to go with Plan B. If you are going to be doing work that you don’t enjoy, with people you may or may not love working with, you need to make the best of it. You know, when life hands you lemons, make lemon squares. I’d like to offer a couple of ideas on steps that you can take to improve things (please note that I said "improve," not "make it all better").
First and foremost, you have to understand that you are working for God. While you may not classify document-scanning or collection calls to be the work of God, you are a work of God. God has commanded us to strive for excellence in all that we do. You may think to yourself that this isn’t really a big deal, but I would disagree. If people you work with know that you are a Christian, but you are visibly unhappy or lackadisical about your work, then what kind of a witness does that show? We want to bring people into the Kingdom, not repel them. People are watching you.
Hand-in-hand with the first observation, is the opportunity you have to minister to your co-workers. Whether you realize it or not, we have been given the opportunity to show Jesus. Whether it’s bringing breakfast, buying someone a birthday/congratulations/get well card or simply offering to copy that lengthy briefing for your co-worker. You always need to be looking for opportunities to serve. And these opportunities can help give you a stronger sense of purpose, when you can’t find it in your "paid" work.
Whether or not you recognize it, there are people in your workplace who need Jesus. They may never make it to church. So the church needs to come to them, to show them the love of Christ through our work and through our actions. Use this opportunity to motivate you in a whole new way.
