Have you ever noticed how two kids of similar background, age and opportunity grow up together turn out to have completely different careers?

They are close friends.

And they seem to be doing everything very similar.

However, strangely, over time one of them starts becoming extremely successful, while her friend seems to stagnate.

This might happen in all sorts of situations like:

For example:

• Two junior Tennis players of similar talent practice 3 hours a day together; however while one of them becomes a world-class tennis player the other one ends up as a tennis coach.
• Two young entrepreneurs start their own businesses; however while one of them loves what he does and prospers,  the other burns out and eventually quits.
• Or two kids who go to the same class do homework together; however, while one keeps getting better grades the other really struggles and fails a year.

Why does this keep happening?

Sure, there are many factors that can explain success.

Some people are more gifted.

Others are luckier.

And yet others work harder.

However,  I noticed one characteristic that seems to really stand out:

Many people don’t enjoy their work.

In fact, according to a study made by Gallup recently, up to 85% hate their jobs.

They feel burdened and bored by what they do.

No wonder they don’t progress.

Top performers think different:

They are obsessed with what they do.

Sure, they too struggle at times, but they love challenging themselves to get better at what they do.

And they see the value of their efforts, to both themselves and the people around them.

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For an entrepreneur, this might mean creating solutions for customers through products and services.

For an athlete, this might mean entertaining and even inspiring fans that are watching them perform at the highest level.

Now I realize that you might be thinking to yourself:

“OK, if I was a world class athlete, or owned a billion dollar company, I would also feel a bit more excited.”

But this is not true.

Everyone can enjoy striving for excellence.

And everyone can add value to people around them!

In a fascinating study by Crum and Langer, researchers tracked a group of 84 female hotel attendants in seven hotels who cleaned an average of 15 rooms a day.  

One group was informed that they were actually doing physical work that amounted to a proper Workout, explaining how many tasks they burned each day. They started to think of their work as a great opportunity to exercise.

The other group received no such information.

4 weeks after this intervention, the informed group showed a decrease in weight, Body Fat, blood pressure, waist to hip ratio and mass index.

In other words, they were reaping the benefits of a real workout!

At the same time, the control group showed no such changes.

They spent the same amount of time walking from room to room, lifting beds and carrying tools from place to place but didn’t lose an inch of body fat.

Isn’t that crazy?

When asked for an explanation of how this was possible, Langer compared the results to the placebo effect.

She said that in the same way that people who think they are getting medication- but actually receive a sugar pill- often respond as if the placebo is working, the housemaids who believed they were exercising, actually experienced the benefits of doing a real workout.

What this means for us is that our beliefs around our workplace can affect not only how we feel at work but also the outcomes we experience!

The reason for this is simple:

If we think of reasons to appreciate what we do, work will not only feel more bearable, but we will also find the intrinsic motivation to put in more effort, intensity, and hard work.

So having clear intentions at work is one of the high-performance secrets that anyone of us can apply.

So today I want you to take a moment now and think about how you can reframe what you do to make it more enjoyable.

Maybe your job is a stepping stone to developing a new skill.

Or it gives you the opportunity to do a lot of physical work and get into great shape.

Or it offers you the opportunity to build an amazing social network.

Take a moment to think about this, and let me know what you come up with in the comment section below!

The post HOW TO START LOVING YOUR WORK! appeared first on Allon Khakshouri.