We seem to be seeking something from work all the time – perhaps nothing more can explain the vast number of hour’s humanity invests every day in this pursuit throughout life. Money, perks, titles, recognition from other people or that funny thing called “job satisfaction” – all become our accomplices in this quest.
If, for a moment we reverse the way we think about work, then our careers would naturally become more meaningful. If we allow it to happen, work can become a place that provides us an opportunity to express our abilities. And our best expression happens when we are already happy, not when we are dissatisfied and in the middle of a mental chase.
If you observe, the happiest people on earth are usually children under five. Their egos haven’t fully set in. They are wholeheartedly committed to the task at hand whether it’s crying or playing. They almost never brood about other people and past incidents. They don’t understand the contemporary concept of work, play, family, friends as distinct pieces of their lives. They move more freely through sticky situations and sail through their days.
Each of us inherently has this state already within us – to be satisfied without needing the crutch of a workplace or any other place. If you think about the phrase work-life balance, it implies that this thing called work is different from the rest of our balanced life. That’s an odd way to look at work, leave alone life itself. Work shapes who we are as much as we shape work that happens around us. More often than not, it’s not hellish bosses who cut us short of becoming what we are capable of, but our own unending desire of the next best thing. Just pause and begin your life’s best work today – I am sure no one would stop you.
It’s everyone’s job, not just those in leadership positions, to make sure that the environments we work in are constantly cleaned up of useless stresses, office politics, and time-wasting filth. We must constantly walk away from distractions that become junk food for our minds. This would allow us to develop a purer context where people can develop and grow, trust each other, collaborate and be comfortable with being vulnerable, and therefore be able to express their talents more freely and fully.
If you develop such an outlook, then it’s never going to be about the job or the company or the industry. It’s going to be about you. You shift from the meeker attitude of seeking to a more powerful attitude of giving. Such a position frees you up mentally and makes you far less desperate. You assume responsibility or making sure that others are satisfied with the time they spend in your company and not the other round.
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