Key Career Trait 16: ENTHUSIASM

Do you have a degree or certification that you don’t use? Among a myriad of possible reasons, one has to consider the amount of enthusiasm you have around that subject or field of work. If you truly identified that line of work that you studied as a source of joy for your wellbeing, nothing would be able to stop you from practicing in that field, even it required you to facilitate it as your second job or side hustle. Your passion for it would demand your participation.

You may have heard of the theory that it takes 10k hours of practice to master a skill. To do anything repeatedly for that long calls for you to be driven by joy to perfect the technique, amass a deep well of ‘muscle’ memory to get in the zone and express your zest for being in the zone. This type of versatility and mastery is how you go from having a skill and being talented. A talent is when a logical process evolves into a flow. When a skill becomes a talent, science turns into art.

In order to be enthusiastic about the work that you do, you need to identify with the skill, as the skill, embody it, become one with it. Without feeling aligned with the skill as if its an extension of you, it’ll be difficult for you to be willing to repeat and practice it until perfection. There is no such thing as perfection because something can always be improved or evolve somehow, but the pursuit of perfection is real.

The whole point of mastering a skill or better yet becoming versatile talent is to share it for the greater good of the collective, your team or company. A Solider perfects his skills to protect and defend the country during war. A Doctor perfects her skills to be able to provide life saving medical care in emergency situations. It is important to work in a capacity where your professional interests are aligned with your personal integrity otherwise you can become indifferent instead of enthusiastic about your work if it doesn’t spark an internal joy and sense of purpose internally, which hinders the vitality of your career. Indifference leads to accepting less than the best of yourself and mistakes can be costly for the business and a matter of life or death for a Soldier or Doctor.

This energy isn’t about being the jack of all trades, this is about becoming a master of one, a specialist. You can master anything that naturally interests you. If cooking brings you joy, pay attention to how much time you naturally spend practicing and perfecting recipes. You’ll find that you’ll begin to identify with the skill you are mastering and begin to identify yourself as a chef or a baker. And rightfully so, you’ve put in the work, imposter syndrome has no place here. You are tried and true and others will notice and put energy and resources behind you by purchasing your dishes or recommending you.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

In moments of uncertainty, you may doubt your progress and question if you can truly reach your goals.  You may fear not knowing enough which unsettle you and hinder your development. Remember that the path to mastery requires patience and it not about being perfect right away but about steadily working to improve yourself and your technique. Here are the six stages of developing this professional trait:

STAGE 1- PAYING ATTENTION: The whole point of the logical process is to be prepared for the moment when the supportive resources arrive. Until then you are like a musician with no instrument with a daydream about having the energy and resources to perfect your skill. Stay ready so that you don’t have to get ready. Careful not to make declarations about your skills or on behalf of others and their skills that cannot be substantiated.

STAGE 2- BEING WATCHFUL: Nurture the natural ability to judge any skill objectively regardless of what others say. Be mindful that your pointed analysis may feel cynical or sarcastic to others.

STAGE 3- SELF-SUFFICIENCY: There is a thin line between needing external encouragement and self-generating sustainable enthusiasm. Here lies the ability and awareness to delight in your own accomplishments and not heavily need confirmation or support from others energize your skill mastery.

STAGE 4- LEADERSHIP: Here its about using your skills to genuinely recognize and sincerely support developing the skills of others, being a coach. This is the enthusiasm to be of service to your team or company due to your self-guided confidence and colleagues are drawn to you based on how you make marked progress and overcome setbacks.

STAGE 5- RESISTING: In this stage, you may find yourself rarely over-enthusiastic about any skill or anyone before you see real results. This is recognizing the potential in yourself and others but may avoid endorsing the skill if you deem them unattainable.

STAGE 6- REASSESSING: Finally, you’ll have an objective evaluation of realistic goals and see things as they truly are. You can envision the views and skills of others and adjust your goal accordingly. Be sure not to become susceptible to propaganda by being too gullible.

Satori Synergy offers data-driven, transformative career coaching and team building to change-ready professionals and organizations to cultivate successful work cultures and satisfying careers aligned with individual natural traits and strengths. Erica Hughey, The Career Engineer, trained at the Human Design Business Institute, uses your Career Design Blueprint as an objective, individualized tool for tailored professional development, leadership training, talent management, and change management. She incorporates her knowledge in social intelligence, emotional intelligence and corporate cultural intelligence provides you with a holistic analysis and comprehensive coaching experience.

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