How many of us wonder what it must be like to be the guy who has the world’s best job? Usually, said person has found a way to earn a living doing something they love. And how many of us then think “lucky guy but that’s never going to happen to me?”
I would imagine that thought that work work could or should be something you love doing never crossed my grand-father’s mind. Then, for the general man in the street work was something you had to do, you did not have to love it though – and not many would have even considered it.
Certainly the idea that you could earn a living doing something you love is not a recent one. Confucius said “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life“.
Yet I wonder, despite the radical changes in the work enviroment that have occurred in the last 50 years, whether much has changed for most people – how many people love the work they do? But what has changed is the attitude towards work – far more people long to earn a living doing something they love even though they might believe that such work is outside their grasp.
I am hopeful though; momentum is growing and as more and more people are successful in creating a work-life they love, then more and more people will begin to realise that such work is not outside their grasp.
As usual, all thoughts welcome.
Hey Phil,
I agree that having a job about which one is not passionate can be quite difficult. It can break one’s courage and self confidence. I have had jobs like this, so I do speak from personal experience of the frustration and hopelessness that comes from that situation.
However, since I served as a pastor in poor Churches for some years (and in particular in the informal settlements and townships of South Africa) I have also come to understand that work is not always a choice. Sometimes we work because we need to provide for our families and make a contribution to others. Each year our Church would have a covenant service where one of the prayers said something like: ‘ Lord, put me to work, or put me to rest, let me do what I love and what suits my natural abilities, or do what I is necessary even when it suits neither my personal desire or abilities. Simply let me be obedient to You’.
A friend once said to me – if you’re unhappy with your job, remember that you’re not a victim! You can choose another job! I was astonished when he said that – there was no way that I could leave my position (at that stage I was a lecturer at a University) and ‘just choose another job!’ I had neither the skill or the opportunity to do so. When I questioned him he said something along the lines of, ‘choose never to be a victim. There is always a cost to your choices. Whether you stay in your job, or whether you leave it, there will be a cost involved! Choose the cost that you are most willing to pay and go for it!’ Those were courageous and challenging words.
So, I left the position that I was in… It was a costly choice, but it was the right one! A few months later when we chatted about it he shared for the first time how he left a job he couldn’t live with anymore to start his own enterprise. He said, ‘one day I woke up and I offered myself a job! As simple as that! I said, Pieter, I’m offering you a job. I can’t pay more than you’re currently earning, but I can offer better hours, more opportunities for growth and development, and a far more flexible career path for growth. It’s you’re choice whether you’ll take my offer or not!’ He took his own job offer and it was the right choice!
A few times since then I’ve ‘offered myself a job’ when I’ve been unhappy. And, often I realized that I already had a good enough job (my own prospect was not better). But, I also decide one more time to ‘take my own offer’. I currently have a great job with many opportunities (and challenges). It makes a difference to me to be happy at work. i spend so much time there!
I pray the same for your readers!
Dion
Hi Dion,
Thanks your thoughts – I appreciate your well thought out comments 🙂
I know all too well that many (can I say most) people in do not choose to work. If you can choose to work then not working must then be a financially viable option. There aren’t many people living off an inheritance.
Most of us have to work – what we do however is our choice. I am sure many people would say “I cannot do anything else” and yes perhaps this is true… now. But we all have the power to choose a different life (and this is the message I want to share). I know it sounds patronising when everything seems to indicate the opposite; but without the vision of a new life we are doomed to live as we are.
Robert Browning said
“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
or what else are the heavens for”
I do agree with your friend. Choose not to be a victim. When faced with a situation that is not optimal choose to either change it, leave it or accept it (along with the consequences of which ever one of those paths you choose).
I specifically did not discuss the issue of meaning in work because we can find meaning in something that we do not love doing. But this post was not about finding meaning in work – that is another topic altogether – this post was about finding joy in work. And yes joy can come through doing something meaningful – but that isn’t what I’m talking about here – I find meaning in helping people but there are other things I could do that I would love to do and are meaningful to me.
Great topic!
I find myself, as most, in the same “trap” which is against my belief and what I believe is possible. Belief in one-self, faith, “mustard seeds and mountains”. Through ones own belief (in oneself) multiplied by vividness all our unlimited possibilities can become our reality.
The logical argument is that we cannot all be wealthy and or rich, because our “resources” are limited.
Years back, a mentor of sorts, commented that we have engineers and wheel tappers. Engineers, that demand a higher wage because they design and build the trains, but we still require and need “wheel tappers” who earn a lesser wage…his closing comment and point was is that we cannot all be engineers, earning good salary and providing for their families we still require wheel tappers.
…this is logical and the “real” world.
I agree that we are all unique and all have different purposes, but believe we make our own reality and have the unlimited power to have unlimited wealth, health and wisdom.
Our only stumbling block is ourselves, as the real world limits our power, and we “forget” to live our dream in the logical real world.
So be it…
Hello Glen
Thanks for the response. I have heard the engineers and wheel tappers analogy before and for the life of me I can’t remember who told me. Yup we’ll always need wheel tappers but I’ll be darned if I’m going to be one 🙂
Comments are closed.