Free Agent Underground: Is enjoying your work optional?

October 19, 2010

Is enjoying your work optional?

Hear the show we did today on this topic by scrolling to the bottom of this page

This topic has been needling me a lot lately. We as a society are accepting more and more bad realities as normal. And bottom line, it's a fact…we view NOT enjoying our work as 'normal' and OK. We have come to a place where we breed our kids to get a formal education and a job that provides a nice paycheck to afford what we deem the necessities of the American dream:

Car
House
Major appliances
Brand clothing
Computer and cell phones
Cable TV

Once upon a time people sought valor, legacy, adventure, inspiration and serving humanity. We've traded that for comfort.

You have 7 days in a week. For at least 5 of those days, you spend the primary hours of your day and energy of your mind and body working for provision. The evenings are spent on the necessities of home life and family and basic personal maintenance. Saturday is usually a day to catch up on home maintenance, kids sports events, dealing with car issues and such. Sunday may have half the day spent at church, then the rest of the day watching sports for some inspiration, excitement and entertainment.

Where is there time for…valor, legacy, adventure, inspiration and serving humanity? There isn't any. Folks, in the above expenditure of your week, the only shot you have is your work.

Please don't think that you can work 40-60 or more hours per week at something you are uninspired and unfulfilled and underutilized in…and then bounce back during the off times to be an inspired, whole person. You can't.You can be 'normal.' Which I don't think you'll be proud to have written on your tombstone:

"Here lies John Doe. He made it through life and was comfortably normal."

Which means it's flat-out VITAL that you become whole in your work.

Your work MUST be enjoyable. It MUST be fulfilling your core skills, abilities, passions and heart. It must be fully inspiring for you.

It's NOT an option. It's a responsibility.

If you are in financial survival, sure…get a job doing anything to keep food on the table. You can't cop out on that. But it must be short term. A year is TOPS. Meanwhile you are seeking your calling. The work in which you come alive in!

Otherwise, you are a thief.

You are robbing someone of a position that is their vocational calling. You're hijacking it from them.
You are robbing humanity from fulfilling your vocational calling, your unique gift.
You are robbing your family and friends from being a wholly alive person, all they are getting is a diluted, numbed version of yourself.

Get that last one? I'm going to step on toes here. I know someone closely (I'll let them remain anonymous) who is overweight and had a heart attack. Afterwards, they still weren't readily accepting the need for a healthier lifestyle. So family members intervened and pleaded that it was the person's responsibility to the family to pursue health. Otherwise, the family would get the burden of caring for them later, after the next truly debilitating heart attack or stroke. It was selfish for them not to pursue health.

Folks, if you are working for a mere paycheck and not fervently pursuing your ultimate vocational calling, you are harming your friends and family and humanity. We don't know the real you, we only know a dumbed down version. You could be replaced by a monthly stipend of money and a house maid or handyman. You owe it to us to be inspired and 'whole.' You owe it to your Creator who uniquely and wonderfully made you.

To deny that is…selfish.

Here is the cool thing though…what you get for stepping up…is glorious. It's a huge payoff. It's life…in the form of inspiration, excitement, joy, time, usually wealth and more.

It's doing the right thing and reaping the benefits. Having your cake and eating it too.

Feel like justifying work that you don't like? Leave a comment.

Are you involved in work that you are enthralled with? Share how it happened with us.

If you accept this and are ready to start…where will you take action? The best option I know of is what I helped create…my baby…Free Agent Academy. Check out our new landing page, you can click on the image to go there: