Do You Find The Passion In Your Work?

When I look back over my career and pick the times when I felt my career and work were so satisfying to me, it had to be times when I was being mentored. That process met many different values of mine. I could learn to be the best I could be in a given area, emulating someone who has similar passions and takes his or her work seriously. It would give me intellectual stimulation with ongoing learning, and also provide me with the camaraderie that ensued with the joining of the minds.

A value of mine is ongoing and lifelong learning. I love when I have someone to answer my questions, and someone who allows me to bounce ideas off of them. When I am immersed in my work and I can discuss case studies and rate a new modality or a new treatment technique, I am really in a place of flow. Flow is the name given for the state of consciousness that makes our experiences deeply fulfilling, and it is when we are totally absorbed in an experience.

When this happens the time seems to go so fast and the day is over too soon. I get a break from the routine ups and downs of my life because in this happy state of my career I can shut out all but what I am placing my attention towards.

Are you finding "flow" in your OT experience?

I have found that I need to be aware of the aspects of a situation that allow me to do my best work, such as when I have a mentor. I need to make it my business to place these things into my work.

I also know that I do my best work when I can work one-on-one with my clients or patients. I have been able to do this in my work in home care, pediatrics, and lymphedema therapy. Knowing that about myself, I can keep those characteristics in the idea of my "dream" job. So far my dream job includes having a mentor or team oriented peers to learn from, and the ability to devote most of my work time with direct one-on-one patient contact.

Of course, the compensation for the work is important, but if you have noticed it is not my number one. I enjoy good compensation, in the way that I enjoy a nice work environment, and a clean environment, with the perfect pieces of equipment. Of course that is my preference. All in all, for me personally to keep the passion going, the primary attribute of my work is to have a great mentor for ongoing learning and sharing.

What is the aspect you value most about your career? Does this value seem to resonate to other areas of your life? For example, my love of learning is an important part of my career, and resonates into my personal life.

What is it that you value most, career or personally, that is at your core of what gets you out of bed in the morning?