No one will have the same energy that you have for your own ideas, so you need to be the primary advocate for turning those ideas into reality through your actions. Work within the system as best you can to get things done. If you go outside the system, examine your motives for doing so. If you believe they are in the best interests of the organization and not for personal credit or gain, this approach may well make good sense.

Even if you make a mistake, you can learn from it and try again, increasing your chances of ultimate success in the process. Following are five measures you can take today to make your work more rewarding:

1. Speak up to Have Influence

We've all been in meetings that were dull, boring and going nowhere. In such situations, we tend to think, "It's not my meeting -- I wish the leader would do something!" We feel it's not our place to speak out. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Be an active participant. If you have an idea, observation or question, speak up. Don't expect others to know what's on your mind. Help the group in any way you can -- by summarizing, keeping time, drawing out others, tracking agreed-upon items, and so forth.

2. Volunteer for Difficult Assignments

Be quick to volunteer for tasks, projects or additional responsibilities. When a problem arises, volunteer to help find a solution. If you can add value to a task force, join it. Always try to accept the challenge and, in the process, expand your learning and horizons.

Listen closely, explore the situation, and suggest alternatives. Take a calculated risk, if necessary, to do what perhaps has never been done before to help a customer. Not only will you likely have that customer coming back, he or she might share the positive experience with others.

3. Greet Challenges with Creativity

Often, a project, assignment or responsibility can initially seem next to impossible, but as you dig in and explore possibilities you can be surprised by what you can achieve.

Nothing ever can be achieved when you focus only on why it can't be done -- you need to focus instead on what can be done and how you can be the one to do it. Brainstorm. Try different combinations and strategies for thinking outside of the box. Use a "fish bone" problem-solving technique to think through a plan in which various problems and solutions can be addressed.

Post a flip chart page on a wall in the lunchroom with a stated problem on top of the sheet and ask for ideas and solutions.

4. Look for the Positive in Problems

If you encounter a problem in your job, don't immediately view it as negative or refer it to your manager or others to resolve. Instead, determine the impact of the problem. Consider why the problem arose and if it is a recurring problem. Examine the circumstances that led to the problem and how those circumstances are changing over time. Project into the future the likelihood of the problem getting worse or better. Then think of how you can turn the situation into a positive opportunity.

Look for the positive in negative solutions. Step back from the situation or take a long-term view to gain perspective. Brainstorm alternative solutions and evaluate each to determine the best course of action and decide what part of that solution you could implement.

5. Be a Person Who Makes Things Happen

Be a person of action! Don't overanalyze situations, rather size things up quickly and act. Doing so will help you achieve more and develop your skill and judgment for future actions.

Take the initiative. Do not assume that management know about a problem and must be doing something to fix it. Seldom will this be the case. As change continues to escalate in all aspects of business, management will be even less likely to know what is needed. To wait for management's attention, therefore, is to court disaster and risk losing the customer, your job, or even the business itself.