The title of this blog actually says it all. But you would be shocked at how many people I meet who tell me that they're only in a job to be able to pay the bills.

Well of course we all need to pay the bills. It's a fact of life! But my question to you is, if you know that you have to work, why on earth would you take a job that you didn't love?

Consider this: You most likely spend a minimum of 40 hours per week in the work place. You get up in the morning, probably don't take the time to have a substantial breakfast, and then spend your day with a team of people - some of whom you quite like and some of whom you wish had never been born !

By the time you get home in the evening you are probably not in the mood to be having happy and meaningful discussions with your loved ones because you're tired.

And you're tired because you're not doing what you love ...

It takes as much effort to find employment where you don't enjoy what you're doing as it does to find something that you want to do.

There's a bit of psychology involved - there always is - and much of it has to do with the fact that we have grown up with the belief that we have to work hard to get ahead, and working hard is equal to not having fun. Many of our parents or grandparents didn't have the luxury of education or the choice of employment, and it's all too easy to repeat their actions because no-one has ever taken the time to show us anything different.

Having hated school with a passion from the day I started until the day I left, I know how futile a future might seem if you don't know what you want to do. Recently I found my school leaving report which included a comment from the head teacher that said 'she is a very young fifth former and her efforts are inconsistent. She would do well to continue with her education'. Right. How useful is that to a 16-year old?

Everything came to a head in my early 40s and looking for my next career step. I thought I might quite like to work for the EU, and in accordance with the qualifications that were required for the positions that looked interesting, I embarked upon an MBA with the UK-based Open University. It was hard work!

At the time I was in full-time employment, and would get to work a couple of hours early, and stay in my office two or three hours after everyone else had gone home, so that I could learn in peace and complete all my assignments.

Three years later, and one month before I was due to graduate, the EU changed its employment policy, which, to cut a long story short, put me in the category of having an MBA, but zero years of work experience. Not impressed!

It was then that I decided to take the plunge towards self-employment, with the aim of helping others finding out what they loved to do, and then doing it. Because if you love your job, not only will you perform better in the work place, but your entire work-life balance and relationships will improve.

So here we are today, and I love what I do. And I don't know how much someone would have to pay me to persuade me to go back into an office job. But that's just me, and we all want different things.

So do you love what you do? And if you don't, what are you going to do about it?

There are no laws to say that you have to be miserable (unless you absolutely want to be), so start writing a list right now of everything you love to do. Think back to when you were a child. What was your definition of fun, what made you laugh, and what made your heart sing?

Just in case you're still unsure of whether you're allowed to have a job that you enjoy, I'm giving you permission to do what you love and love what you do. Your challenge as you read this is to let go of the idea that your job has to be 'hard work', and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead.

I'd love to hear your ideas about what your alternative future might look like. Just leave your comments in the box below.

Until next time ...

Feelgood Coaching and Consulting e.U. - Creating Excellence in the Work Place