For those of us in the tax and financial world, the beginning of the year can come with dread. When the calendar turns, we know our sleeping hours will decrease until we pass April 15^th.

(Though really it’s the 18^th and 19^th this year due to local holidays, but more on that to come in the future.)

Although this is the difficult time for our industry, we are not the only industry that ever faces difficult times. Whether they occur due to the calendar, deadlines, orders, etc., we all have moments when work feels overwhelming and we wish it would go away (if only temporarily). It is during those times, however, when it is most important to remember why you are doing what you are doing.

When we are kids (and as adults we pass this along with inquiries to the next generation), we are often asked what we want to be when we grow up. The answers come with passion, looking toward a future filled with fulfilling work. So remember during those trying work times that are times when you believe that work can, and should, be exciting.

Granted, some workplaces make this easier than others. If you have ever been a fan of DVD special features, you may have realized that Pixar is near the apex of those places. And even if we don’t all have the skills to be master animators, the company can teach us some lessons in this area.

Authors Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson take a peek at the company in their book Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground. Much of what they discuss in the book is the childlike wonder that the company encourages; employees there are not required to only work by following aged, staid workflows.

The book speaks of a study that asked two groups of people if they were good singers, good dancers and good artists. Only about two percent of businesspeople answered yes to all three questions. Nearly 100 percent of first-graders, however, say yes to all of them. We could do well by reaching back and embracing that youthful creativity that crossed through all areas.

Capodagli and Jackson conclude that “collective creativity within a corporate culture never happens by accident, it begins with creative leadership that is trustworthy and in turn trusts others to accomplish big dreams.” So if you are stuck in one of those malaise moments when work feels like too much, think of things you could do to use your work as a path to something that expresses more creativity and excites your passion.

Those of you who run businesses should also keep this in mind. The more freedom employees have to accomplish their work through different means, the happier they will be with their work. This will only help overall morale. “If you have low morale,” Pixar director Brad Bird has said, “for every one dollar you spend, you get about twenty-five cents of value. If you have high morale, for every dollar you spend you get about three dollars of value.”

So even if this isn’t a trying time for you and your work, keep these things in mind. It is never bad to remember that there were times in our life when work sounded fun, and that recapturing that ideal could be very fruitful.