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Work with Loveby Patti L. Auber, published December 2013
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Why do you do the work you do?
Okay, I heard that resounding “DUH” out there. I know you’re going to tell me you work to earn a living. To pay your bills. To have the lifestyle you want. Yep. I get it. That’s why we work. We trade our life, our time, our talents, our mind, the skill of our hands—for the things we need to live. (Or at least the things we think we need, but that’s another column.)
That’s not the question. The question is why did you choose the type of work you are doing? Were you answering a passion that bubbled up from the deepest part of your innermost being? Doing work that you knew you were meant to do almost from the moment you were born? Work that brings the best part of yourself to the universe? Work that makes you whole?
There’s that “DUH” again. I think most of us would say, “Are you kidding? Of course not!” We took a job we thought we might like, or at least be able to tolerate. We took a job that paid decent wages. We took any job we could get, because we needed a job. If we got lucky, the job we took is okay and maybe even pretty good. If we’re not so lucky, our time at work is hours of mind-numbing boredom or torture.
People do well when they are doing work they like and have an affinity for. This I know from my 30+ years in human resources, working at first for a staffing company and currently as a corporate recruiter. I was lucky. I fell into the work I do purely by serendipity, but as it turned out, I have a real passion for it, and I seem to be pretty good at it. I’ve spent almost my whole career thinking about work. Every day I help other people think about work, and what kind of work would best suit them. And there is my dirty little secret. You see, I’m a corporate recruiter. My job is to help my company find the best people for their jobs. In truth, that’s not where my passion lies. My passion is in helping people realize what job would be best for them. It’s a small but significant distinction. Fortunately for me it works out anyway, because when I put someone in the right job, they ultimately become the best person for my company. Did you ever hear the gardening expression that a weed is just a plant in the wrong place? The same is true for people. People who fail in a job are usually just in the wrong job. Put them in a job that feeds their soul in some way and you create a successful employee.
Sometimes when I’m interviewing a candidate, I’ll realize that they truly are not suited for the position they have applied for, but that they would be much more successful in another role. Generally it just takes a couple of questions on my part to help the candidate realize the same thing. Sometimes I can redirect them to another job in my company that better suits their talents and interests. That’s where the fun really lies for me—helping people come to the realization that there is work that they will love. And then helping them find it.
Kahlil Gibran in his book, The Prophet, says of work, “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.” Lucky is the person whose work is their love. And wise is the person who has taken the time and thought to figure out what work they are meant to do in this life, and has then taken steps toward making it possible for them to do that work.
Which brings me to another thought: As a community, it behooves us to support and patronize those courageous souls who are stepping outside of a traditional career path in order to do the work they love. That means, if there is a local coffeehouse, we should find ourselves needing a cup of coffee with a friend occasionally. If there is a local deli, we owe it to our community to sample some of their goods from time to time, bypassing the chain supermarket. If there is an art gallery, we should stop in occasionally to admire the work and maybe buy a picture or piece of jewelry. We should make it a point to attend that concert being offered by a local musician. Local farmers and farmer’s markets deserve our attention and our money. That’s part of what being a community means—supporting and appreciating the labor of each other’s hands and hearts and minds.
So, find what you love to do. If you can’t do it today, make a plan to move you toward making it a reality. Do something every day—even if it’s only a small thing—that moves you toward your goal. And while you’re moving toward your goal, do your current job with integrity. Give your community the gift of your work—work that is done with love and care and pride. It will feed your soul.
Okay, I heard that resounding “DUH” out there. I know you’re going to tell me you work to earn a living. To pay your bills. To have the lifestyle you want. Yep. I get it. That’s why we work. We trade our life, our time, our talents, our mind, the skill of our hands—for the things we need to live. (Or at least the things we think we need, but that’s another column.)
That’s not the question. The question is why did you choose the type of work you are doing? Were you answering a passion that bubbled up from the deepest part of your innermost being? Doing work that you knew you were meant to do almost from the moment you were born? Work that brings the best part of yourself to the universe? Work that makes you whole?
There’s that “DUH” again. I think most of us would say, “Are you kidding? Of course not!” We took a job we thought we might like, or at least be able to tolerate. We took a job that paid decent wages. We took any job we could get, because we needed a job. If we got lucky, the job we took is okay and maybe even pretty good. If we’re not so lucky, our time at work is hours of mind-numbing boredom or torture.
People do well when they are doing work they like and have an affinity for. This I know from my 30+ years in human resources, working at first for a staffing company and currently as a corporate recruiter. I was lucky. I fell into the work I do purely by serendipity, but as it turned out, I have a real passion for it, and I seem to be pretty good at it. I’ve spent almost my whole career thinking about work. Every day I help other people think about work, and what kind of work would best suit them. And there is my dirty little secret. You see, I’m a corporate recruiter. My job is to help my company find the best people for their jobs. In truth, that’s not where my passion lies. My passion is in helping people realize what job would be best for them. It’s a small but significant distinction. Fortunately for me it works out anyway, because when I put someone in the right job, they ultimately become the best person for my company. Did you ever hear the gardening expression that a weed is just a plant in the wrong place? The same is true for people. People who fail in a job are usually just in the wrong job. Put them in a job that feeds their soul in some way and you create a successful employee.
Sometimes when I’m interviewing a candidate, I’ll realize that they truly are not suited for the position they have applied for, but that they would be much more successful in another role. Generally it just takes a couple of questions on my part to help the candidate realize the same thing. Sometimes I can redirect them to another job in my company that better suits their talents and interests. That’s where the fun really lies for me—helping people come to the realization that there is work that they will love. And then helping them find it.
Kahlil Gibran in his book, The Prophet, says of work, “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.” Lucky is the person whose work is their love. And wise is the person who has taken the time and thought to figure out what work they are meant to do in this life, and has then taken steps toward making it possible for them to do that work.
Which brings me to another thought: As a community, it behooves us to support and patronize those courageous souls who are stepping outside of a traditional career path in order to do the work they love. That means, if there is a local coffeehouse, we should find ourselves needing a cup of coffee with a friend occasionally. If there is a local deli, we owe it to our community to sample some of their goods from time to time, bypassing the chain supermarket. If there is an art gallery, we should stop in occasionally to admire the work and maybe buy a picture or piece of jewelry. We should make it a point to attend that concert being offered by a local musician. Local farmers and farmer’s markets deserve our attention and our money. That’s part of what being a community means—supporting and appreciating the labor of each other’s hands and hearts and minds.
So, find what you love to do. If you can’t do it today, make a plan to move you toward making it a reality. Do something every day—even if it’s only a small thing—that moves you toward your goal. And while you’re moving toward your goal, do your current job with integrity. Give your community the gift of your work—work that is done with love and care and pride. It will feed your soul.