"I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing,
therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human
being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not
pass this way again".~Stephen Grellet, 1773-1855
French-born Quaker Minister
Those hours I spent yesterday I will never get back. And I'm okay with that because all day yesterday I did exactly what I wanted to do for each and every hour of that day. There were things that I felt like I should do, but it's so rare for me to just do what I want to do; and by what I want to do, I mean relax. My weekends are normally packed solid with birthday parties, events, maybe even service activities, phone calls, cooking, laundry and everything else that falls under the errands category. I didn't do any of the aforementioned and that felt good.
That brings me to my next point and personal story. The only job I can honestly say I have loved up to this point was teaching. I loved the kids, the faculty and staff. I loved learning knew things the the course I was teaching. I loved coaching the track and dance team. I was so young when I was teaching, so didn't feel slighted by the lack of a paycheck. I was working 24/7. I was thinking about how I could tie current events into my lesson plans. I was eating, sleeping, and breathing teaching. I started back to graduate school and I felt like I was doing something amazing. I was making a contribution to society through my service to my classroom, and I got paid to do this. It was awesome. Then I started to need "things" because I was too immature to know any better. I needed to look in terms of material, as good as I felt internally. That means I needed more money.
We are all motivated by money. Society as a whole is motivate by money. Wars are fought over this, elections are won and lost over this. I am especially aware of this. Without thinking it through in its entirety, I left my teaching position and took a job at an insurance company. It was a huge pay increase. I could afford those "things" now. I kept working, I kept performing, I earned more. I moved, I earned even more. I switched companies, I earned even more. But I hated my job. I hated the company, I hated the work. Whilst being thankful for the paycheck and a place to go Monday-Friday, I hated the job. I got no glory from the work. I was an under-appreciated employee. I started to think about the harm this was doing to me and my family and anyone who ever has to hear or read my thoughts. Putting so much time and energy into the work I loathed made me cynical. I spent more time at work than I did at home and I hated every minute of it. That's time I can't get back. I started a pursuit of something better. And better, I have found.
Most of us don't like our jobs, but we are fearful of what it would mean to our households to pursue other things. Only when that fear is surpassed by what it would mean if we didn't pursue what we love, do we make changes. The challenge to making yourself a better person is to do what you love. Contribute to the world in a way that makes you proud. Love your career and if you don't love it, find a new one. If you feel good about yourself, you will feel uplifted in everything you do. Your family will benefit, your friends will benefit. Since infectious smiles get passed around more than the common cold, the stranger you smile at will benefit too.
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