One question that almost every child’s been asked is:

The most common responses include doctor, lawyer, police officer, teacher, actor, and astronaut. If you’d asked me that question when I was five, I would have said “Popstar.” As a ten-year-old, I would’ve told you a doctor, and at 15, I’d have said a lawyer. By the time I was 20, I wanted to be go into business.

As we grow up, we begin to think about adult things like financial prosperity, job security, and social status, letting the fantasy jobs of our youth fall by the wayside. We consider educational requirements, industry outlook, and work-life balance too as we embark on an actual career path.

As a result, many of us end up in jobs where we watch the clock, complain about our bosses, vent about our work demands, and live for 5pm on Fridays.

But, it doesn’t have to be like that. Getting stuck in a work rut doesn’t mean you need to quit your job and set off for a year-long trip around the world to get back to the basics of who you are and what makes you happy. There are tons of ways you can make your day-to-day routine more enjoyable—maybe even captivating at times - if you can maximise the potential of your current role. 

It’s common for businesses to routinely conduct SWOT analyses: strengths (internal), weaknesses (internal), opportunities (external), and threats (external). Conduct a personal SWOT analysis, beginning with evaluating your strengths.

In which areas do you thrive? What makes you unique and sets you apart from your peers? When you receive positive feedback, what abilities and characteristics are often mentioned? If you work in a company that encourages individual employee growth, speak to your manager about ways that you can begin incorporating your areas of expertise into your routine more.

Next, take a look at your weaknesses. Put some thought into the tasks that cause you discomfort, the things that you actively avoid, or that often seem to accompany procrastination. While you’ll never excel at everything you do, you can actively improve in many places if you put the effort into it. There are so many ways to learn now (from your couch at home) that you don’t have too many excuses for not at least trying.

Focus externally when evaluating threats and opportunities. Develop opportunities as a means to overcome threats. For example, you might perceive your boss retiring as a threat, but if you take the opportunity to develop a strong relationship with your new manager, who knows what exciting things are ahead of you. Recognize your shortcomings and what makes you feel anxious or threatened—but rather than dwell on them, find a way to overcome them in a way that’ll benefit you in the long run.

Think back on those moments at work when you felt a jolt of excitement. Even if that spark was brief, consider what you were doing at the time. Maybe you were talking to a customer, or working with your team to solve a problem, or strategizing with your boss on how to grow revenue. Whether it’s relationship building or teamwork or topline strategy, identify what inspires and motivates you and then look for ways to regularly incorporate that into your current role. (Again, your manager is a great person to speak with about this.)

It’s easy to stick to the cliques that we’ve developed over time, but where’s the challenge and excitement in that? Encourage yourself to branch out and meet new people. You can still make time to deepen the relationships you’ve already cultivated, but also make an effort to set up a couple of lunch dates, or simply ask co-workers you don’t know well to grab coffee.

Change is rarely easy, so consider starting with surface-level aesthetics. Alter your desk décor. Purchase small plants. Pin up inspirational artwork and hang photos. After you’ve made that leap, step deeper into change and reevaluate some of your processes to try and shake up your routine. Do you always start the day one way? Why not try doing something different?

After you’ve made some small strides, see if you can dive all the way in and go bigger and bolder. Identify one area that your co-workers may’ve overlooked or don’t have time to address and study it in-depth. Become an expert, show off your skills, and see if you haven’t moved at least a couple of steps past working the daily grind that’s been keeping you down. 

I’m not saying that you have to keep doing what you’re doing. If you’ve made efforts to enhance your situation and optimize your role and are convinced there’s nothing worth staying for, perhaps it’s time for a major change, one that’ll bring you closer to who you want to be—even if you never do get to be the star of your own TV show.