Here are some popular love/work quotes: “Do what you love and the money will follow.” “Work is love made visible.” “If you’re not in the job you love, love the job you’re in.” How great would it be to love your work?! Do you? I can honestly say I do.
I remember knowing what it feels like (i.e. stress, anxiety, anger, frustration, boredom) to not love your work. All of these things bring you down literally; lowering your energy level and thus attracting more of what you don’t love. Yet when you love your work, you feel so light and alive – full of love. You are passionate and have endless energy. The gratitude for what you do is contagious, touching each person you come into contact with, thus attracting more of what you love.
The Law of Love
So how can we bring more love to our workplaces? According to Rhonda Byrne by the Law of Love, most commonly referred to as the Law of Attraction. Her new book The Power, sequel to The Secret shares how love is the most powerful force in the universe that we can tap into to improve all areas of our lives. The more you love what you do (even if you need to pretend you do at first); the law of attraction will bring you more things you love.
Expression of Love at Work
So how do we express love for and at our work? I just have to share this picture with you (permission to show photo granted) of my youngest son, Garrett. It’s a great example of love at work on many levels. He and I went to the photo studio and worked with a photographer who loved her work. It’s said that “love is in the details” and such was the case with this photographer, as she remained patient and loving toward us despite my 9-month old not wanting to sit still. Her love allowed me to receive one of my all-time favorite pictures. I have this in my office, which surrounds me of who and what I love.
The 5 Love Languages
One of my favorite examples of understanding the concept of love comes from the author Gary Chapman. He wrote the best-selling book The 5 Love Languages originally for couples, but it’s applicable to the workplace. In his book, it shares with us the five ways to we can show and receive love. It is important is to determine what your love language is and the love language of those around you. Here are the five love languages, along with examples of expressing love at work using that language.
- Words of Affirmation –written or verbal words that express how we feel about another person. It is words of appreciation that you might share with a co-worker. It is words of encouragement that you might share with your staff. It is words of thanks that you can give to your boss.
- Gifts –whether big or small, gifts are symbols or tokens of appreciation. Some corporations give employees gifts for a certain amount of years employed with the company. Providing a gift certificate to someone who helped you out on a project is another example. A favorite gift I once received from a colleague was chocolate-covered peanuts.
- Physical Touch – this is about how you connect with others physically. It could be a simple gesture of thanks with a genuine handshake or hug. (FYI: This is probably the hardest love language to express at work because of harassment laws).
- Quality Time –spending focused and uninterrupted time with people. You build relationships with others when you invest time in knowing who they are. An example might be having a team building day to planning a happy hour after work so you can get to know each other.
- Acts of Service –the things people are willing to do to get the work done. They help out, provide advice, stay late – do whatever it takes – to go the extra mile for you and provide stellar service.
How will you love today?
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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.
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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most.
How ONE Person Makes a Difference…
www.projectgratOtude.com
Janae Bower of FindingIt is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant who helps others get to the heart of what matters most.
Linda Ferguson wrote the book "Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work" and has presented workshops around the country on aligning our gifts, passion and purpose.
Hi Michael,
Thank you for sharing your response for this post. Appreciate your thought on how to best connect with people by affirming and asking what they need. So insightful!!
Janae
p.s. Thanks for the compliment about Garrett. He just turned one and I’m so grateful to have his smile touch my heart every day.