How do you define work?
For a long time I had defined work as something you do to earn money. It was something you know how to do, and you convinced somebody that you could do it well so you were hired.
If you love what you do, you got lucky. If you don’t love what you do - well you are one of the majority. That is the reason why you see so many sad faces in the tube every morning. This is the reason why you see the hashtag “TGIF” (Thank God It’s Friday!) in the posts of people partying on Fridays, this is the reason why there is something called “burn-out”, this is probably the reason of excessive shopping, eating, exercising - to make ourselves at least a bit happy!
Now I define work as something you do where you become one with it, you lose yourself in it, you experience flow, you feel meaning, and you are energised just because you are doing it. Work is your unique energy being materialised in an activity and the activity in turn energises you.
When you do the work you love, you have a different posture, a different aura. You bring this aura with you to anywhere you go and to everyone you share the space with. You impact people with your energy. You contribute to the world with your energy.
Unfortunately the opposite is also true. When you don’t do the work you love and do a work you don’t love, you want to do as minimum as possible. This creates a closed posture, a defensive attitude. You go around trying to protect yourself from "being exploited”. You look for “get aways”. You don’t feel comfortable with yourself or the world and people can feel your discomfort and they don’t feel comfortable around you. At your best, you impact others with your low energy. At your worst, you act in ways that exploit others because you don’t give yourself what you really need so you try to get it from others, you want to be entertained, pampered, taken care of, and highly respected.
Work is not employment. Work is the meaningful activity - whatever that means to you.
There are people who don’t have a job or profession but they do the work they love. It can be caring for a sick family member, being a home maker, raising children, carpentry, cooking, gardening, working in social organisations or activity groups. What makes it a work is you choosing to do it intentionally ever and ever again throughout your life and identifying your self with it: saying “this is what I do”.
When you don’t have a profession or a job and you don’t do the work you love, you have an energy that does not materialise or channel anywhere, which can then be stored inside of yourself and may lead to depression and sickness. And that impacts people around you too.
Doing work you love is obviously important for you but also important for your loved ones, for your network and the community you are living with. We are connected and we impact each other.
Have you ever met a person who does the work they love?
Their eyes shine, they are energetic, they talk about their lives with an appetite and it is contagious.
You can be this person!
P.S. Instead of using a stock photo - I found a photo of myself that symbolizes doing the work you don't love:)
