Do you feel passionate about your job? If you talk to most job counselors, they will tell you to look for a job that you can feel passionate about. But, what exactly does it mean to feel passionate about what you are doing? And, how much passion should you realistically expect to feel about your job?

According to some experts, feeling “passionate” about what you are doing means that you are able to get completely absorbed in what you are doing. As a result, you don’t find yourself watching the clock throughout the day and you aren’t particularly concerned about what others think about what you are doing. Think about it – when you are doing something that you enjoy doing, such as playing video games, rocking out with your band or playing your favorite sports, you are totally submerged in the experience and pretty much oblivious to the world.

Of course, even when engaging in the activities you love, there will be times when you become distracted or when you just don’t feel like doing those things you enjoy. As such, you should expect the same when it comes to your job. While you certainly want to find a job that you will generally enjoy going to every day, it is unrealistic for you to expect to feel passionate about the job every hour you are there. In addition, there are likely to be aspects of your job that you won’t enjoy. Just as there will be parts you won’t enjoy about having a band, for example, there will be things you don’t particularly love about your job. Perhaps you love playing gigs, but you really despise loading up all of the equipment and setting it up.

So, the secret to finding a job you enjoy is finding one that you can feel passionate about, while still realizing that every day won’t be perfect and that you need to find a sense of balance with your job. According to Peter War, who is a professor at the Institute of Work Psychology at the University of Sheffield in England, there are nine external sources of happiness that should be sought at work and in life in general. These include:

· A sense of empowerment
· The ability to expand your skills
· Variety
· A clear sense of your situation and its requirements
· Doing something you believe in

When nit comes to the workplace specifically, he also said that you need the following four factors in order to feel happy:

· Supportive supervision
· Job security
· Promotion possibilities
· Fair treatment

Unfortunately, finding a job you can feel passionate about isn’t at the top of most people’s lists these days. After all, many people are just grateful to have a job at all. Still, this doesn’t mean you can’t start working toward having a career that you can feel passionate about. If you are currently laid off from work and you can’t find another job, now is the perfect time to switch directions and start training for a career you can enjoy. Or, even if you do currently have a job, taking advantage of flexible community college and online school schedules can help you get out of the rut you are currently stuck in.