If you want to be efficient in what you do, you have to love what you do. It may seem to be a cliché, but it is in fact what more and more people are seeking.

From a very young age, many of us directly or indirectly receive suggestions from our parents or from society. They mention their expectations for us or they guide us towards a particular profession, but, paradoxically, we also receive perceptions on what work means to people. We come to understand that it’s not too pleasant of a place, that it’s considered “obligatory” for a period of time that isn’t flexible, that more certainly there is a boss that isn’t thought too much of by many people, etc.

Until not too long ago I found myself in this situation: “It’s Monday again and I don’t want to work!”, “How much longer until we finish?”, “I don’t think I feel well today, so I’d better not go to work,” etc. Asking and hearing more and more of such questions and statements, I came to realize that no one was forcing me to continue doing what I was doing, that there were places where I could apply my innate and acquired characteristics and traits, and that I could free up my position for someone who was truly passionate about the thing that I wasn’t enjoying.

So, I started paying attention, to recognize my potential, to identify my passions, and to find a context in which I could be paid for them. I wanted to find the Ideal.  It turns out to be the kind of work that you would be willing to do for free. You know you’ve reached the Ideal when you wake up in the morning and you think about how the day will go and in the evening you feel good thinking of everything you’ve accomplished that day. We are all meant to reach our own Ideal.

• Know your own potential

We are all good at performing certain tasks in our day-to-day lives. Some of use work very well with and among other people, some prefer working with tools, and others work very well with information. When we identify and locate the potential, we begin to understand the path towards passion.The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now. Chinese Proverb

• Follow your passions

From the moment when you discovered your potential (most of us naturally have abilities in diverse areas), it’s time to align your resources to concentrate them in a career in a field that makes you happy. That doing, you’ll begin to have clear ideas about yourself in a certain field, about what you can do, and how things will work. You’ll think about many fields in order to clearly differentiate the one in which you will be best suited. Very important: Don’t choose your field according to the available positions, but chose an available position according to your field. Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. Aristotle

• Work hard, but work smart 

Now that you have identified your potential and your potential, you still need to add dedication and you will become great in your work. It is very important for your work to be efficient so that you can offer original, valuable, and indispensable results. By beginning with concentrating your potential you will surely succeed and your passion will allow you to work hard without being bothered by it. Don’t think that the whole world does only what they love. Most people block themselves in a routine and live their lives on “default.” You can overcome routine by following your ideal. Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it. Buddha

Following the three steps enumerated above, perhaps you discover that you have a sense of the aesthetic. Professions which can highlight this passion are art, design, publicity, marketing, etc. If you have a sense of the creative that can be found in every waking moment of your life, you’re perfect for technical, scientific, artistic, literary, marketing, and publicity professions. For communicative people, I propose professions in sales, communications, public relations, etc.

Iolanda Cocioaba, Human Resources Consultant@HRS