The Fire is Gone

Hey there.  Not that long ago, I had a performance review at work.  Most people look forward to them since they get to see where they stand in their boss' eye.  Many of us got excited last month when after over a year, the paycut that was thrust upon us has been returned to us.  Following the increase, reviews were given out.  I'm pretty sure that no raises will be given since we just got the percentage back from over a year ago.

Anyways, I was fairly pleased with my review.  I seemed to have marked higher than the majority of my peers and performance wise, it was excellent, but the thorn on my saddle has to be the comment that my boss said to me.  He stated that when I first started, I got on things quickly and got them done quickly too, now, "the fire is gone".  Now, I don't see this a knock on my performance, I see this more as a wear and tear type comment.  I understand that when someone starts off a new anything, you're enthusiastic, you're energetic, you want to make a good impression, but after so many years on the job, it's tough to maintain that high level.  No wonder some people refer to working as going through their daily grind.

Now, I'm not saying that it's not possible to keep that level.  There are people out there that simply love what they're doing and can maintain that level throughout their careers.  Just take the great late Steve Irwin.  The man genuinely seemed happy each and every time he was out and about with the wild life of Earth.  The majority of us, however, are not as fortunate to land a gig where that fire burns and stays strong throughout our careers, the way Steve's did.

So what's my problem?  I don't want to be complacent.  I don't want my job to be a daily chore.  I don't want, several years down, to look back and say, damn... I'v been doing the same damn thing for X number of years.  How do I avoid that?  How do I get that fire burning bright again?  I'm happy with my job.  I'm a geek when it comes to numbers and that's all I stare at all day here.  I don't mind, I enjoy it.  Balance sheets, income statements, profit & losses, 10Ks, 10Qs, the occasional conference call, credit conferences...  This is my work life and I'm cool with it.  What I'm not cool with is that this fire is missing...  I need to get this fire burning brighter friends.  Until then, later.