Do I have to love my job?

I don't love my job.  Period. 

 Age old discussion about whether it is better to have a job that you don't like but pays well or to have a job that you love but pays okay.

 I am still in the job I have been for the last 13 years (in fact my anniversary is coming end of this month).  I used to love the job, no matter how difficult the work was or how hard the clients were to deal with.  Friends I speak to, always has something to complain about their jobs.  I had none.  In fact, I kept quiet most times because if you allowed me, I would have serenaded about my job.

 So what changed?  Life changed, priorities changed, interests changed, I changed.

 I am great at what I do.  Clients love me, workmates look up to me and love working with me.  There is something about me that allows me to do my job well - everyone tells me everything!  Information is power and that helps me to navigate the intricate maze of human relationships.  I get paid relatively well for it.  But remember, I don't love my job anymore.

 For quite a while I struggled with what I should do.  Quit my job?  Go find a job I really love but perhaps don't pay as well?  Stick to my current skill sets and move to a new environment?  Mostly I struggled with the fact that I don't love my job anymore so why do it?  In my mind, spending 40 hours a week doing something I don't really care for, is not exactly a great use of my time.

 I then came across a few articles on the Internet.  These articles say that I don't need to love my job.  Everyone touted that if you do the job you love, you will be happy and you will perform well.  These articles point out that I should not get bogged down by traditional beliefs.  I come to realise that I don’t need to love my job to do it well.  I pack and organize my closets very well, but I don't love it.

 My feelings about my job has evolved throughout the years.  It is now a means to an end.  Some ends actually.  The means to have a new house (I just moved to a bigger place!), the means to have a lifestyle that my family and I want, the means to go away regularly on vacations, the means to have a better and nicer life.

 These ends are my priorities now - if you look closer , it points to one single priority - my family.  Once I reached this epiphany, things at work seem more bearable and I even catch myself enjoying some parts of it!  I have my ups and downs but staying positive and focused helps a lot in getting the job done.

 So, it is okay not to love my job, as long as I know why I am working.