Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Work it Out

"Now it is back to the ole grind stone."

If you have ever said this about job that you have worked then I hope this post is encouraging for you. There are countless ways people describe jobs that they can't stand, whether it is a full-time job or a part-time job, if you don't enjoy doing what you are doing, then there is a chance you are doing the wrong thing. It is also possible that you have the wrong perspective of the work you currently do; you just can't see the big picture, so you don't see how your work lines up with and adds to the bigger picture of what is going on around you.

There are two reason someone will work:

1. The most common reason is because they have to. As they say, "you gotta eat" and while this doesn't referring to a Rally's slogan, it is simply truth and in order to eat you need to have some money. In order to get some money, sometimes you have to do what you have to do, and sometimes that thing you have to do isn't all that fun to do. Nearly everyone at one point in their lives will have to do something that they may not get an overwhelming enjoyment out of, but they simply need to do it. (some of you might be thinking, "I have been there for 20 years!" bear with me)

2. The less common reason people work is because they have a great passion for what they do and if they don't do it, then it won't get done. They have a burden to do what it is that they do and they would never refer to their work as a "job," rather something they do. If you are unhappy because you have been working a "job," counting down the hours until the day ends and spending all your free time (or work time) planning your next vacation, then I have good news for you: you don't have to stay where you are!

Seth Godin says: "Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't need escape from." Most people spend a fair amount of time going through their day doing a lot of things they would rather not be doing, but few people ever sit down and make a plan for the day, let alone a plan for how they can work their way out of the work they are currently doing and into something more meaningful. You would be amazed at how much more you can do in a day when you sit down to write out the things you are going to do.

Imagine what you could do if you sat down and planned out your next year and the things you want to accomplish. What if you sat down today and wrote out a plan for how you can start doing what it is you want to be doing. I know as well as you do that there might be some things that you simply must do right now, but if you apply yourself to reproducing yourself then you won't have to do what you are doing because you have successfully trained someone else to do it. I pray that your work will be meaningful and used to build others up. That you do not hate what you do, but you find joy in it. That your life is filled with purpose and you wake up every day excited about what you get to do that day.
I'll leave you with something Malcom Gladwell says and I hope this brings some hope to your future: "Hard work is a prison cell only if the work has no meaning."

1 comment:

alleycat said...

I have this article that talks about the difference between having a job and having a ministry. Goes along the lines of what you're saying here.