Direction (Qs.1 to 7):  Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Have you recently heard someone talk about his or her job with absolute enthusiasm? Their work excites them. It winds them up. They seem to love what they do. Sometimes when we hear these enthusiastic people talk about their work, our minds naturally start to think about the negative aspects of our jobs. We might start to think about how we might have been extremely passionate about our work - but as the years passed, the enthusiasm faded. And, maybe after all that time we might even think that our work has become boring. Of course, boring is not a word any of us want to use when we describe our work. But, let’s face it; being bored happens sometimes.

In fact, researchers are now studying the importance of boredom in our daily and career lives. In the absence of boredom, one would remain trapped in unfulfilling situations, and miss out on many emotionally, cognitively, and socially rewarding experiences. Boredom is both a warning that we are not doing what we want to be doing and a ‘push’ that motivates us to switch goals and projects; boredom is a warning signal that we’ve become stagnant, we may have lost a sight of our goals, and it’s time to create change. Here are some of the ways we’ve seen passionate people overcome boredom to achieve great results.

Embrace the feeling. We all know what boredom feels like. And, our natural response is to minimize the agony it creates by simply getting busy or finding things to distract ourselves. But we shouldn’t be so quick to jump. Instead, step back. Consider why you’re actually feeling bored. Embrace your boredom not by avoiding it, but instead becoming more removed from your current responsibilities. Take a vacation if necessary, to really think about what you wish you were doing and achieving at work.

Think about others. Start to think about how your work, or things you could work on, could positively impact the lives of others. Our research shows that 88 percent of award-winning projects start with the question, “What impact could I create that other people would love?”

Elevate the challenge. Psychologists say monotony is one the most common causes of boredom. Often our natural response to monotony is to seek external stimulation - we think we need a new job, or a promotion, or someone to inspire us, or we need to feel appreciated for the work we’ve already accomplished. But, the easiest cure for monotony derives from our internal stimulation - raising the bar, challenging ourselves to create bigger results, and setting goals that sometimes seem out of reach. Ironically, when we do these things, the external stimulation we seek (promotions, inspiration, and appreciation) follow.

Repeat the above three steps until you’re bored again. It may sound cliché but in the case of boredom, we need to realize that it will again rear its head and that it’s not just okay, it’s a good thing. Once again, we’ll know that it’s time to initiate change, pursue progress, and discover our next fulfilling endeavour, idea, or challenge. Being bored is a horrible feeling. But, if boredom didn’t exist, we all might get stuck in world of absolute sameness, stagnancy, and dullness. And, that’s not very appealing either.