Has your job gotten stale to the point where you dread going to work each day? Your home life may not be everything you were hoping for, either. This is common for many people and can be summed up with the following phrase: lack of passion.

When people start out their careers, they are hyped up. They work hard and shoot for higher goals. Often, they become disillusioned with the games other people play, and the career is not what it was cracked up to be. They end up just existing in that career.

If you can inject some passion back into your life, you will find a renewed desire to participate. The key is to reconnect with what you lost. Sometimes, getting back to basics can give you a sense of purpose. Volunteer for new assignments at work. Also, help others who may be just starting out. You can become a mentor.

When people lose their passion, they want as little to do with their jobs and their lives as possible. By creating different paths than you are used to, it can lead you to a place that you find exciting and worthwhile.

It’s important to shift your attitude. When you lose your passion, you tend to become negative. You think that nothing will ever work to your benefit. Unfortunately, this energy gets projected out into the world and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

However, if you shift your focus to a more positive stance, that too will be projected out and will be returned to you in kind. Which is better, to receive something negative or positive for what you project? Most people will answer that positive is better.

If you turn passion into a habit, it will become part of your life. Just the nature of repeating your passion consistently can make you more passionate. It takes some getting used to, and there will be positive experiences as well as negative ones. Like any other habit, however, you need to keep going. The beginning days are always the toughest. Create a vision of where you want to be several months from now. Focus on that vision on a daily basis. This alters your mindset to help you start implementing the steps to get there. When this happens, your passion will grow, you will become more resilient, and you will find a new zest for both your work and your home life. People will recognize the changes in you and will champion your efforts. People love to align themselves with winners.

This article originally appeared in the Autumn 2018 issue of CHOICES Magazine