ght be a massage or a fancy dinner or a new briefcase to celebrate a sale.

Use a reward system to make those unpleasant tasks more tolerable. Also, be sure you are rewarding the people in your circle of influence. A reward doesn't have to be something monetary. It could be a thank you note or a compliment. It feels just as good to give rewards as it does to get them.

6. Identify what makes your heart sing.

What parts of your work make you blissful? What would you do for free if there were no such thing as money? Recognize activities, situations, and relationships that bring you joy. Then, figure out ways to add them to your life as much as possible.

You control your own happiness. Research is showing that people who are happy are those who look for little ways to add joy to their day. It's not the big things - getting a huge account - which make us happy over the long haul. The little things add up - and

As with all relationships, sometimes we have to make a little effort to reignite the flame. Your relationship with your business is no different.

Loving your business has numerous advantages. First, you enjoy the long hours that are sometimes required to make it grow and prosper. Second, you get to do something everyday that feeds your soul and brings you happiness. Third, how you feel about your business is transparent. When you love your business others notice and you are more likely to attract people to work for you, hire you, or buy from you.

Here are some ideas to get you started on falling and staying in love with your work:

1. Be certain your work aligns with your purpose and values.

When you are doing work that fulfills your purpose and supports your values, you will be happy, energized and inspired. It just feels right! First, you must identify what is your purpose and what do you value in life? What do you enjoy doing so much you lose track of time? Then, ask yourself, does your business match your values? What adjustments can you make? Are there new projects or products that fit your values that can be explored? How can you fulfill your sense of purpose through your business?

If these questions are difficult to answer, ask yourself if this is the best business for you to be in? Is there other work that would better fulfill your sense of purpose and match your values?

2. Strengthen your connection with others.

The quality of your relationships makes a significant impact on your happiness. This includes people in your office, customers and the professionals in your network.

Are there any unresolved issues or conflicts you need to address? Do you need to establish (or re-establish) roles and responsibilities? Is one person making most of the effort or making all of the concessions? Are you isolated and lonely because you work from home?

Suggestions:

Identify specific things you can do to improve the quality of your connections with others. Send someone a thank you letter that acknowledges how they have helped you. Have regular coffee/lunch dates with the purpose of developing new relationships and strengthening existing ones. Identify any missing players from your life - then seek out people to fill that void.

3. Balance your work and home life.

As a business owner the work is never done. There is always something else to do. So, you need to create systems to balance your time. Are you spending enough quality time with family and friends? Are you working long hours and feeling worn out? Are you giving adequate time to growing yourself and networking your business?

Suggestions:

Use systems and planners to allocate time for work, family, play and also YOU! Plan ahead each month and week. Then, plan each day in the morning. Schedule in time for the things in life that bring you joy- and keep these appointments.

4. Delegate the tasks that make you cringe.

Identify the parts of your business that you dread (and possibly procrastinate on) and eliminate or delegate them. Hire someone to make cold calls for you or handle your bookkeeping. Trade services and get someone else to design your flyers. Enlist a local teenager to complete the mundane tasks that drive you crazy and drain your energy, but must be done. Not ready for a full-time assistant, but need some administrative support? Then, hire a Virtual Assistant for just a few hours a week.

5. Reward yourself - often!

Rewarding yourself can take many forms. It may be as simple as taking the time to acknowledge yourself for an accomplishment. It could be going to Starbucks for a latte while you work on a less than desirable task. It might be a massage or a fancy dinner or a new briefcase to celebrate a sale.

Use a reward system to make those unpleasant tasks more tolerable. Also, be sure you are rewarding the people in your circle of influence. A reward doesn't have to be something monetary. It could be a thank you note or a compliment. It feels just as good to give rewards as it does to get them.

6. Identify what makes your heart sing.

What parts of your work make you blissful? What would you do for free if there were no such thing as money? Recognize activities, situations, and relationships that bring you joy. Then, figure out ways to add them to your life as much as possible.

You control your own happiness. Research is showing that people who are happy are those who look for little ways to add joy to their day. It's not the big things - getting a huge account - which make us happy over the long haul. The little things add up - and

What do you enjoy doing so much you lose track of time? Then, ask yourself, does your business match your values? What adjustments can you make? Are there new projects or products that fit your values that can be explored? How can you fulfill your sense of purpose through your business?

If these questions are difficult to answer, ask yourself if this is the best business for you to be in? Is there other work that would better fulfill your sense of purpose and match your values?

2. Strengthen your connection with others.

The quality of your relationships makes a significant impact on your happiness. This includes people in your office, customers and the professionals in your network.

Are there any unresolved issues or conflicts you need to address? Do you need to establish (or re-establish) roles and responsibilities? Is one person making most of the effort or making all of the concessions? Are you isolated and lonely because you work from home?

Suggestions:

Identify specific things you can do to improve the quality of your connections with others. Send someone a thank you letter that acknowledges how they have helped you. Have regular coffee/lunch dates with the purpose of developing new relationships and strengthening existing ones. Identify any missing players from your life - then seek out people to fill that void.

3. Balance your work and home life.

As a business owner the work is never done. There is always something else to do. So, you need to create systems to balance your time. Are you spending enough quality time with family and friends? Are you working long hours and feeling worn out? Are you giving adequate time to growing yourself and networking your business?

Suggestions:

Use systems and planners to allocate time for work, family, play and also YOU! Plan ahead each month and week. Then, plan each day in the morning. Schedule in time for the things in life that bring you joy- and keep these appointments.

4. Delegate the tasks that make you cringe.

Identify the parts of your business that you dread (and possibly procrastinate on) and eliminate or delegate them. Hire someone to make cold calls for you or handle your bookkeeping. Trade services and get someone else to design your flyers. Enlist a local teenager to complete the mundane tasks that drive you crazy and drain your energy, but must be done. Not ready for a full-time assistant, but need some administrative support? Then, hire a Virtual Assistant for just a few hours a week.

5. Reward yourself - often!

Rewarding yourself can take many forms. It may be as simple as taking the time to acknowledge yourself for an accomplishment. It could be going to Starbucks for a latte while you work on a less than desirable task. It might be a massage or a fancy dinner or a new briefcase to celebrate a sale.

Use a reward system to make those unpleasant tasks more tolerable. Also, be sure you are rewarding the people in your circle of influence. A reward doesn't have to be something monetary. It could be a thank you note or a compliment. It feels just as good to give rewards as it does to get them.

6. Identify what makes your heart sing.

What parts of your work make you blissful? What would you do for free if there were no such thing as money? Recognize activities, situations, and relationships that bring you joy. Then, figure out ways to add them to your life as much as possible.

You control your own happiness. Research is showing that people who are happy are those who look for little ways to add joy to their day. It's not the big things - getting a huge account - which make us happy over the long haul. The little things add up - and

d and lonely because you work from home?

Suggestions:

Identify specific things you can do to improve the quality of your connections with others. Send someone a thank you letter that acknowledges how they have helped you. Have regular coffee/lunch dates with the purpose of developing new relationships and strengthening existing ones. Identify any missing players from your life - then seek out people to fill that void.

3. Balance your work and home life.

As a business owner the work is never done. There is always something else to do. So, you need to create systems to balance your time. Are you spending enough quality time with family and friends? Are you working long hours and feeling worn out? Are you giving adequate time to growing yourself and networking your business?

Suggestions:

Use systems and planners to allocate time for work, family, play and also YOU! Plan ahead each month and week. Then, plan each day in the morning. Schedule in time for the things in life that bring you joy- and keep these appointments.

4. Delegate the tasks that make you cringe.

Identify the parts of your business that you dread (and possibly procrastinate on) and eliminate or delegate them. Hire someone to make cold calls for you or handle your bookkeeping. Trade services and get someone else to design your flyers. Enlist a local teenager to complete the mundane tasks that drive you crazy and drain your energy, but must be done. Not ready for a full-time assistant, but need some administrative support? Then, hire a Virtual Assistant for just a few hours a week.

5. Reward yourself - often!

Rewarding yourself can take many forms. It may be as simple as taking the time to acknowledge yourself for an accomplishment. It could be going to Starbucks for a latte while you work on a less than desirable task. It might be a massage or a fancy dinner or a new briefcase to celebrate a sale.

Use a reward system to make those unpleasant tasks more tolerable. Also, be sure you are rewarding the people in your circle of influence. A reward doesn't have to be something monetary. It could be a thank you note or a compliment. It feels just as good to give rewards as it does to get them.

6. Identify what makes your heart sing.

What parts of your work make you blissful? What would you do for free if there were no such thing as money? Recognize activities, situations, and relationships that bring you joy. Then, figure out ways to add them to your life as much as possible.

You control your own happiness. Research is showing that people who are happy are those who look for little ways to add joy to their day. It's not the big things - getting a huge account - which make us happy over the long haul. The little things add up - and

eek. Then, plan each day in the morning. Schedule in time for the things in life that bring you joy- and keep these appointments.

4. Delegate the tasks that make you cringe.

Identify the parts of your business that you dread (and possibly procrastinate on) and eliminate or delegate them. Hire someone to make cold calls for you or handle your bookkeeping. Trade services and get someone else to design your flyers. Enlist a local teenager to complete the mundane tasks that drive you crazy and drain your energy, but must be done. Not ready for a full-time assistant, but need some administrative support? Then, hire a Virtual Assistant for just a few hours a week.

5. Reward yourself - often!

Rewarding yourself can take many forms. It may be as simple as taking the time to acknowledge yourself for an accomplishment. It could be going to Starbucks for a latte while you work on a less than desirable task. It might be a massage or a fancy dinner or a new briefcase to celebrate a sale.

Use a reward system to make those unpleasant tasks more tolerable. Also, be sure you are rewarding the people in your circle of influence. A reward doesn't have to be something monetary. It could be a thank you note or a compliment. It feels just as good to give rewards as it does to get them.

6. Identify what makes your heart sing.

What parts of your work make you blissful? What would you do for free if there were no such thing as money? Recognize activities, situations, and relationships that bring you joy. Then, figure out ways to add them to your life as much as possible.

You control your own happiness. Research is showing that people who are happy are those who look for little ways to add joy to their day. It's not the big things - getting a huge account - which make us happy over the long haul. The little things add up - and

ght be a massage or a fancy dinner or a new briefcase to celebrate a sale.

Use a reward system to make those unpleasant tasks more tolerable. Also, be sure you are rewarding the people in your circle of influence. A reward doesn't have to be something monetary. It could be a thank you note or a compliment. It feels just as good to give rewards as it does to get them.

6. Identify what makes your heart sing.

What parts of your work make you blissful? What would you do for free if there were no such thing as money? Recognize activities, situations, and relationships that bring you joy. Then, figure out ways to add them to your life as much as possible.

You control your own happiness. Research is showing that people who are happy are those who look for little ways to add joy to their day. It's not the big things - getting a huge account - which make us happy over the long haul. The little things add up - and they are easy to get when you are aware of what brings you joy.

Suggestions:

Have coffee/lunch with someone who makes you feel good lifts you up. Learn new things and stimulate your mind. Make a list everyday of the things for which you are grateful.

7. Spice things up on a regular basis!

The best of us can get in a rut. Ruts are boring and draining. Take some risks, make some changes and add some excitement into your work and life!

Suggestions:
-Call someone you recently met and invite them to meet with you.
-Paint the walls in your office a new color or rearrange the furniture.
-Join a new networking group - or start your own.
-Take class or a workshop.
-Develop a new product or service.
-Update your logo, your website, or your wardrobe.
-Hire a coach.

You obviously desire to love your work, or you wouldn't be reading this. Just by identifying one or two small things - AND TAKING ACTION - you are on your way to creating and maintaining a love affair with your work.

Here's to lovin' your business!

Leigh Ann Rodgers, Business Coach, Trainer & Author