Work- curse or call?

For many of us work seems like a curse and is something that we endure in order to earn money so we can do other things. I am not convinced that should be the case. Can we all get a job we love? I’m not sure but if we are realistic maybe we can get close to being in a job we love. Certainly I am hoping that my own change of direction- starting tomorrow- will prove more ‘me’ than some of the things I have done up until now. I listened to a tape by Greg Haslam (recorded on 14/4/02) recently where he argued that we all have a ‘calling’ a thing we are meant to do. He suggested that in trying to discover what we are meand to do we should ask the following questions

What do you see you have been packaged to do? This sense of being designed for something will tend to include what we want to do (funny that- our desires are often indicitave!)

What do you know you have been prepared to do? Our lives thus far have not been accidents and may be directing us in a way we might not have considered!

What do you feel prompted to do? What is it that we tend to think of when we are meant to be thinking of something else? What rings your bell? What do you think somebody ought to be doing?

What do you feel a passion in doing? Don’t tell your boss but just maybe you are fortunate enough to have a job you would do if no-one paid you for it!

What do you experience power in doing? There are some tasks we seem to be able to just keep doing without getting weary- we have all met waitresses and others that seem to be able to just keep going and look as happy as anything. OF course we will still get tired but we aren’t tired of doing the job.

What do you receive praise in doing? Do people tell you that you’re really good at a certain skill?

Greg quoted somebody else as saying our ‘calling’ is Where your deep gladness and the worlds deep hunger meet Do you believe that there really is a hole that only you can fill. To know that there is something that needs doing and that you can do really well should be a truly satisfying experience. It is that satisfaction (as well as the financial benefits!) that work should really be about.

Sadly these days, too many people strive for promotion beyond this point until they get to the place of their inadequacy. How many good deputy managers are now poor managers? How many good managers are now bad members of the board? I guess its partly a quality of meekness that we are willing to be where we are best suited to be rather than desperate to advance ourselves at the expense of others who may be better at the job than we are!