Henry David Thoreau – “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

As we start to approach the end of 2012 many people are probably looking forward to a New Year and asking themselves whether they can face spending another whole year in a job which makes them feel as though they are living a “life of quiet desperation”. If you are someone who has lost the passion for your work, but can’t figure out what you would like to do in the future you might like to take a look at this new TEDx video by Scott Dinsmore who created the website Live Your Legend.

How do you wake up feeling inspired every day? How can you find the work that you can’t not do? How can you encourage yourself to take the road less travelled?

Scott argues there is a 3 step framework for finding the answer to these questions:

1. Find your unique strengths. Use Strengthsfinder 2.0 as a starter.

StrengthsFinder 2.0

What is your framework for making decisions? What are your experiences and what have you learned from them? Who inspires you? Who would you like to be like? How do you define success for you?

2. Do the impossible.

There are 2 reasons people don’t do things: one is that other people tell you that it is impossible, the other reason is that you tell yourself it is impossible. Everyone thought that is was impossible to run a 4 minute mile until Roger Bannister did this and suddenly many people managed to achieve the same thing. Scott suggests setting yourself a physical challenge which you thought you could not do and the achievement of that challenge gives you the belief that you can achieve whatever you want.

3. Surround yourself by passionate people

“You are the average of the 5 people you spend most time with.” Jim Rohn

Don’t surround yourself with people who encourage complacency. Surround yourself with people who inspire possibility. You don’t necessarily need to change your goals sometimes you just need to change your surroundings. “When ordinary people do the extraordinary and you can be around that, it becomes normal.” argues Scott.

“First they IGNORE you,

Then they LAUGH at you,

Then they FIGHT you,

Then you WIN.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Take a look at Scott’s TEDx talk and see if it inspires you to find your true calling and happiness at work in 2013 and beyond.