February is the month of love and, I am thinking, the prospects of earning a salary is not enough a reason for coming every weekday to sefa. It must be something deeper, even when the going gets tough as I meet deadlines and the pressure of working for a financial company with such a massive mandate. I call it passion.

Passion and purpose--in short, doing what you love--can be difficult to find. Some people search forever. Some gain remarkable skills and talents only to think, I'm great at this. So why don't I feel successful? Others, even after building successful businesses, suddenly think, “Hold on. This is just not me.” It is very normal to be overwhelmed by feelings of uncertainty and even fear of failing in our professions.

Resorting to changing career paths seem convenient and an easy off-ramp – sometimes – not always. Sometimes all we need is courage. Courage to look deep into our unique situations and rekindle the spark. A starting point would be asking ourselves this question: “Did I always feel this way about my work?” Remind ourselves of the early days when we could not wait to report to work the next day.

As I write I am reminded of Apple’s founder, Steve Job’s speech way back in 2005. His speech was and still is ,a powerful inspiration for many cube rats stuck doing jobs we may not be passionate about. I quote him:

“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle…

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Now the inevitable question: Are you doing what you love? Do you love what you do? Keep the passion and love burning through and through. Grumble less, and laugh more. Start now in the month of love. Love yourself. Love your job. Show it. It is all about the love.