This post celebrates the passion and love for the work you do.
How do you feel when getting to work is a pleasure you look forward to?
How do you feel when everyday you wake up with a bounce in your step and excitement in your heart to start a new day – working on what you like?
A true satisfying and exciting feeling for sure! Though most of the internet searches would be to get away from what you do at present, there are many many of us who just love doing what we do, maybe because we have found our calling and have figured out how to make the best of the both worlds doing what we want (job/business etc.) and getting what we desire (the money, satisfaction or extra time) or just because doing what we do brings us happiness in all possible way we had imagined work-life to be.
A friend who was in a layoff one and half years back felt extremely dejected when the layoff happened, he had been with the company for 11 years! He was not prepared for it and of course was a rude shock. But knowing him I knew that he would not take it lying down, I was not at all surprised when just after 3 months of his layoff he had launched his own company and had two friends working together on a couple of wireless applications. Today he is satisfied and happy doing what he does, and not only that, he seems excited and driven than ever before. He says, “I had been doing my best at my job, and I liked what I use to do at my previous company, but THIS is completely different! I LOVE doing what I do now and it is so exciting and fulfilling. It is something like suddenly finding wings to fly high and get wherever you want to.. my whole perspective of work has changed, it is not work anymore, it is fun, excitement and love.”
Elisabeth is a health coach at Take Shape for Life and exhibits deep passion and love for her new career. She says, “For 16 years I had an independent bookshop–loved it, but worked 6-7 days a week, 10 hours a day. Because I loved it, I kept it open much longer than I should have. I was proud of not being a bottom line person, but guess where that got me? I’m still not a bottom line person–I could double or triple my income in two months if I wanted to work that hard. I don’t want to work that hard. Now I have almost no overhead (have to actually create overhead–luckily I have clients and other coaches I work with all over the country and can travel, something I love doing), and I’ve built a great business that doesn’t require me to work non-stop, gives me flexible hours, and supports my family comfortably. And when I want a raise, I give myself one (that is, I put in that bit of extra time to make it happen). I guess there comes a point when we stop and look at what our building for the future is doing to the current quality of life we’re living. Once we do that, sometimes we are able to let go of some of the things that take time/effort without a pretty clear payback within a reasonable time frame and put that time and effort into better daily living or into other things that may bring the needed results. All I can say is that my work IS my pleasure, and I’m grateful to have found a great opportunity that allows me to do what’s important to me–while I help other people do the same.”
Well said Elisabeth and I’m sure you’d say “I’d rather be working!”
Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
— Kahlil Gibran
What do you love about your work?