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Have you ever dreaded the mindless routine of commuting to work, sitting at your desk and wanting to be somewhere else, and watching the clock anxiously until it was time to go home?
Just to do it all over again the next day?
If you have ever felt numb at work, it means you’ve lost that spark of starting a new job, excited about the potential at your fingertips. How do you get back that feeling of feeling alive and completely engaged at work?
By being creative. Literally.
Creativity is the ability to express your authentic self in a meaningful way, one where you’re not hindered by strictly following the rules. It’s also a great way to feel more present in the workplace.
The ability to be creative at work gauges whether you are authentic at work or not. You just need to devote time to cultivating that creativity.
1. If you genuinely believe in something, speak up
Is there something you’re passionate about at work, something that energizes you? That makes you say, “This is why I wanted to work here”? The big question is: How can you get more of that in your daily job? Be present and pay attention to when this happens. One way to be creative is to take whatever it is that makes you feel like you belong at your job, and attract more of it to your daily tasks. This might mean a conversation with your boss, to defining a role that highlights these strengths. Express yourself and make your interests known.
2. Don’t fear failure
At work, it’s easy to fear failure when you think of everything at stake— from humiliation in front of coworkers, judgement from your boss, and the possibility of losing financial security if you fail. But work, which takes up a good amount of our lives, is where you should be encouraged and rewarded for creativity. Innovation comes from taking risks. Real life comes from taking risks.
3. Believe that you belong at the table
Do you feel like you actually fit in to your work culture? Like any commitment you make, it should feel right or it’s not even worth investing in your time. Yeah, it sounds like a luxury to find a place you belong in, but the alternative is to spend your days feeling like you never truly belong. Eight hours a day, 40 hours a week is lot of time that you’re spending there, so you should feel like you can be yourself. Just like finding “the one” in a romantic relationship, you have a choice to decide what company you commit yourself to. If you and your current company don’t have the same things in mind for your career, there are a million of other fish in the sea.
In order to feel more alive at work again, you have to take back ownership of your career, and foster your creativity. Instead of being reactive, be proactive about crafting the role you want. Find those reasons that make you want to stay, and really analyze if this place is somewhere you want to be for a long while. Take ownership of your career path, and if you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, it’s time to come alive again.
About Lia
Lia Fetterhoff is a user experience designer with a psychology background, who’s passionate about personal growth by design. As a designer who has crafted a number of meaningful experiences at various corporations, businesses and startups, she sees the value that intentional design brings.
Lia wrote and self-published Life Experience Design: How to live your 100% authentic life, available on Etsy. She also regularly produces digital journeys, blog articles and other tools to help others dig deeper into redesigning their own lives. Learn more at http://www.liafetterhoff.com.
