--- title: If You Are Bored, Challenge Yourself | The Sales Blog description: A lot of people complain about being bored at work. They suggest the reason they're bored is the nature of the work. That is to place the responsibility for image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dirty-wall.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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They suggest the reason they’re bored is the nature of the work. That is to place the responsibility for your level of engagement on something external, instead of recognizing that it is internal.  How you [feel about your work](http://thesalesblog.com/2015/09/07/how-to-love-your-job/) is a decision. The difference between work being boring and work that engages you—or even inspires you—is your willingness to bring your best self to that work. If you decide to make any project or task a passion project, giving yourself over that work, that work will not be boring. By the very nature of the energy you bring the work, it simply cannot be boring. Your effort, your energy, and your imagination are the variables when it comes to the quality of the work—and whether or not you are bored. The fact that you infuse the project with your talents and energies magically transforms something that might have been boring into something spectacular. Or maybe even better than spectacular, maybe something exceptional. It could set a new bar for what good looks like. The [more challenging](http://thesalesblog.com/2017/11/08/maintaining-a-positive-attitude-in-challenging-circumstances-episode-218/) the project, the more interesting it becomes. If a project causes you to stretch and grow to obtain some outcome, it cannot be boring. This is true even if what you’re doing is not your favorite thing to do. The truth of the matter is much more in line with what Martin Luther King said: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” The Buddhists would agree with Dr. King but say it in a different way. They would tell you that how you do anything is how you do everything. If the work is not challenging, then change the outcome to set a new standard that others will struggle to follow. Raise the bar on yourself and do work that is extraordinary. If you are bored, challenge yourself. ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2018](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2018) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on May 15, 2018 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-09-17T1:39:51 PM", "datePublished" : "2018-05-15 22:03:41", "description" : "A lot of people complain about being bored at work. They suggest the reason they're bored is the nature of the work. 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