How do you make the choice of loving what you do, and doing the job because you have to?

What a great question! I think because you asked it that you won't ever end up in a dead end job! These days individuals change jobs many times during their careers. Always stay aware of what the company is doing, where it is going and what you can do to have an edge in the area of promotion. If you see your position as headed toward a dead end, investigate related positions and network with others to see what else is out there. In the past, it was important to stay in a job for many years, but times have changed, and individuals need to look out for themselves, and if change is helpful, it may be your best option. But do remember that your attitude can bring so much to a position, and what someone thinks is boring can be a really exciting to someone else. Your job can be what you make it. Be an asset to your employer and make it as enjoyable as possible! I have held a number of jobs, and I never had but one that I did not enjoy. The one I did not like was a position that was a necessity for a short time, so I tried to make the best of it, all the time exploring other options. Best of luck!

1> Change the way that you work. Maybe you need to use a new technique or change your approach in order to love your job. When work becomes mundane, it can feel more difficult to face. In these situation,
changing your approach might be helpful. This is sometimes called job enrichment.

for example
Look for little opportunities to change up your routine at work. Making small changes may make work feel more fun and help keep things fresh.

again for example,
if you are a teacher, try a new lesson plan now and then or test out a new teaching strategy. If you are a cashier, try asking each customer a different question to make small talk.

2> Focus the positive aspects of your job. If you are not enjoying your job, then you might be focused on all of the negative aspects of it. To start loving your job, you will need to identify what you like about your job and start focusing on those positive aspects instead.

For example :
Try writing down all of the things that you like about your job. These can be small or big things. For example, you might like your hours, your co-workers, your responsibilities, and the location of your workplace. Try reading through this list whenever you are feeling down about your job.

3> Try listing three things that you are grateful for at the end of each day. For example, you might feel grateful that your boss brought doughnuts into work for everyone, or that you got to work at your favourite station that day, or simply that you have a job.

4> One way to put problems into perspective is to ask yourself, “Will I be thinking about this moment while I am on my death bed?” If the answer is no, then it is not worth your mental energy now either.

5> Improve other parts of your life. Sometimes a job can be more difficult to engage with when other parts of your life are out of balance. Consider other aspects of your life that might be making you unhappy.

Hi Mykaelah ! Big difference from a job and a career. A career may have included a number of jobs. In exploring career possibilities start by googling The 16 Career Clusters and pick three of them, then put those three in order of your priority interest. This will give you a place to start becoming more self aware. Google The Self Directed Search and for $10.00 you can gain more insights. Read What Color Is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles to gain more insights about you, your interests, your talents, and your personal preferences. Each job/career is some combination of People, Data and Things. The perfect position for me is 99% PEOPLE, 1% Data and 0% working with my hands, being my own boss, and going at a speed that works for me. Doing the same tasks every day would drive me nuts. Presently, I love living more randomly, dancing with uncertainty and daily variety. Preferably one on one with occasional group work. Living your life with choices, options and great possibilities necessitates acquiring an expanded mind set. Google you tube and watch some video's by Mike Dooley, Abraham-Hicks or Kyle Cease. Pick the ones to watch that grab your interest the most. Invest time and money in empowering yourself. Becoming financially self reliant will allow you more freedom of choices. Google Robert Kiyosaki author of Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Hi Mykaelah,

I will definitely recommend you do what you love to do.
Taking myself as example, I love computer when I was very young. I start learn programming when I was 8, with the high school students.
From then, I just keep learning all things with computers and never hesitate about the choice. When I choosing major for the university, my parents strongly recommend to choose math. But I choose computer science of course.
Actually, I never worry about my jobs. In the University, just keep writing applications, websites and anything that interests me. When I was junior, I send my resume to best Internet company in our country and soon I got an internship. Then only after two month, I got the full-time job.
I love studying computer related stuff, and just enjoy doing it.
I think it's much better compared to do somethings you don't like. Now I am interning at Google and I still very happy with all the things I do every day.
Therefore, definitely do the things you love and you will be the best in the field.