This is an article I wish I had written but it's enough for me that I have read it. I found this in Manila Bulletin's supplementary magazine: Panorama. How many people read panorama magazine nowadays? I wouldn't know. I didn't find any electronic copy of this article, so I made one. I copied this directly from the magazine. I hope you find nuggets of inspiration in the essay. It is truly worth the read for those of us that are always complaining about our jobs.
Thank you Lilia Alvarez for doing such a great piece.
The pursuit of happiness at work [ pdf ]
by Lilia Borlongan-Alvarez
For working people exist to give of themselves and serve by discovering their talents and expressing them, and so the former would ask "What can I give?" instead of "What can I get?"
So how do you love what you do and how do you find out what you want to do?
Matthews answers this by defining "doing what you love" is and what it is not. "It‘s not pulling in a pay check for lying on a tropical beach. It is having a passion for something -- and putting all your love, energy and creativity into making it work. It is taking risks. And usually, it is having to make it work just so you can feed yourself!"
Choose to enjoy. He adds if you want to, you can enjoy almost any job and if you work at something you love, you‘ll be happier and you‘ll be more likely to succeed. "Choose to like whatever you are doing at the moment then go follow your heart," he says. Lest you be confused, he says these two actions do not contradict each other. "In the short term, you need to make the best of a situation. If you need the cash, you may need to stay in your current job while you plan your future," he says.
He goes on to say that when there is no struggle, something is missing. "That‘s why so many children of the rich and famous overdose on heroin and blow their brains out. They have no challenge. Whether they work or not, their material needs are met," reasons Matthews. (This reminds us of a passage from Francisco Balagtas‘ "Florante at Laura": "ang laki sa layaw, karinawa’y hubad, sa bait at muni, sa hatol ay salat.")
The truth is, Matthews contends, we relish challenge in our work so much that we go looking for it. And although some would pray that their job not be repetitious, the reality is that most jobs are. "If you are a secretary, you type one letter after another. If you are a movie star, you do one take after another," says Matthews.
Homework principle. Matthews tells of another secret in finding meaning in work: give one hundred percent. "It doesn‘t matter whether you‘ve been out of school for 50 years, the homework principle still applies. Your teachers, your bosses and your parents told you to work hard but you don‘t work to please parents and teachers. You do it for you," says Matthews.
He says life in the workplace is about working for yourself, not for your boss. "None of your employers will be perfect and your colleagues may be lazy." But when you sign on as an employee, your job is to give your best, not to pick holes in the guy who signs the checks!"
Matthews says enjoying one‘s work is a choice and goes on to debunk the myth that there are "happy" things and "unhappy" things to do. "An interesting person can make a dull job interesting. This doesn‘t mean that an out-of-work banker ought to wash cars for 20 years -- but a few months might be good therapy! With our affluence comes arrogance. The retrenched architect says =I do buildings but I don‘t do windows.‘ Dismissed executives attach themselves to the government nipple, never considering they might wait on tables rather than draw a dole check," he adds.
Focus. Do what you can do and don‘t measure your abilities against others, Matthews emphasizes. "Too often, we underestimate our own talents. The potter says: =If I could make music, now that would be something.‘ The pianist says: 'If only I could make things with my hands...‘ Fulfillment comes from developing your gifts, not wishing for someone else‘s," he says.
He cites a perfect example -- the world-renowned golfer Jack Nicklaus. When people talk about his golfing success, they generally talk of his extraordinary talent. When Jack talks of his success, he talks about the extra practice balls he hit. Jack knew that the difference between Jack Nicklaus and a thousand other talented golfers was attitude and hard work.
"If there is an outstanding quality common to great artists, scientists, sports stars, humanitarians, and business tycoons, it is not their talent -- it is their focus. Once you know what you want to do, get focused! You can‘t do everything. You can‘t save the whales, heal the sick and plug the ozone layer all at the same time. Leave some chores for the rest of humanity," Matthews advises.
People connections. Matthews says whether or not you are fulfilled at work depends on how you serve people. He defines "serving people" as simply knowing that there‘s joy in giving something of yourself which is uniquely yours.
Serving, he says, can be teaching and nursing people. "It can be selling them beautiful flowers, or repairing their radiators with a smile. It‘s not about your job description. It‘s about your philosophy," he says.*
Thank you Lilia Alvarez for doing such a great piece.
The pursuit of happiness at work [ pdf ]
by Lilia Borlongan-Alvarez
Work is love made visible, says writer and philosopher Kahlil Gibran. This is the guiding principle of working people who seem to have the time of their life doing the same kind of work day in and day out for years as compared to others who regard their work as a drag.
For working people exist to give of themselves and serve by discovering their talents and expressing them, and so the former would ask "What can I give?" instead of "What can I get?"
Unattachment. Andrew Matthews, author of the bestseller "Follow your Heart," says that if one works only for the money, he or she won‘t be happy and probably won‘t make much money. "When you really love what you do, you are less attached to money...and whatever work you are doing at the moment, you are competing against people who love what they‘re doing," he says. His examples: Bill Gates speak, it‘s obvious he is more excited by software than money. And Elvis Presley didn‘t set out to make a fortune, he set out to make a good record. Being rich is not a goal, it‘s a by-product," he says.
So how do you love what you do and how do you find out what you want to do?
Matthews answers this by defining "doing what you love" is and what it is not. "It‘s not pulling in a pay check for lying on a tropical beach. It is having a passion for something -- and putting all your love, energy and creativity into making it work. It is taking risks. And usually, it is having to make it work just so you can feed yourself!"
How does one find or discover his passion" Matthews gives this practical advice: simplify your life and eliminate some of the garbage from your routine so you can see more clearly. "Listen to yourself and try new things. Try ten things...nine may not excite you, but number ten may open up a whole new world. If that doesn‘t work, try another ten things," he advises.
Choose to enjoy. He adds if you want to, you can enjoy almost any job and if you work at something you love, you‘ll be happier and you‘ll be more likely to succeed. "Choose to like whatever you are doing at the moment then go follow your heart," he says. Lest you be confused, he says these two actions do not contradict each other. "In the short term, you need to make the best of a situation. If you need the cash, you may need to stay in your current job while you plan your future," he says.
He goes on to say that when there is no struggle, something is missing. "That‘s why so many children of the rich and famous overdose on heroin and blow their brains out. They have no challenge. Whether they work or not, their material needs are met," reasons Matthews. (This reminds us of a passage from Francisco Balagtas‘ "Florante at Laura": "ang laki sa layaw, karinawa’y hubad, sa bait at muni, sa hatol ay salat.")
The truth is, Matthews contends, we relish challenge in our work so much that we go looking for it. And although some would pray that their job not be repetitious, the reality is that most jobs are. "If you are a secretary, you type one letter after another. If you are a movie star, you do one take after another," says Matthews.
Homework principle. Matthews tells of another secret in finding meaning in work: give one hundred percent. "It doesn‘t matter whether you‘ve been out of school for 50 years, the homework principle still applies. Your teachers, your bosses and your parents told you to work hard but you don‘t work to please parents and teachers. You do it for you," says Matthews.
He says life in the workplace is about working for yourself, not for your boss. "None of your employers will be perfect and your colleagues may be lazy." But when you sign on as an employee, your job is to give your best, not to pick holes in the guy who signs the checks!"
Matthews says enjoying one‘s work is a choice and goes on to debunk the myth that there are "happy" things and "unhappy" things to do. "An interesting person can make a dull job interesting. This doesn‘t mean that an out-of-work banker ought to wash cars for 20 years -- but a few months might be good therapy! With our affluence comes arrogance. The retrenched architect says =I do buildings but I don‘t do windows.‘ Dismissed executives attach themselves to the government nipple, never considering they might wait on tables rather than draw a dole check," he adds.
Focus. Do what you can do and don‘t measure your abilities against others, Matthews emphasizes. "Too often, we underestimate our own talents. The potter says: =If I could make music, now that would be something.‘ The pianist says: 'If only I could make things with my hands...‘ Fulfillment comes from developing your gifts, not wishing for someone else‘s," he says.
He cites a perfect example -- the world-renowned golfer Jack Nicklaus. When people talk about his golfing success, they generally talk of his extraordinary talent. When Jack talks of his success, he talks about the extra practice balls he hit. Jack knew that the difference between Jack Nicklaus and a thousand other talented golfers was attitude and hard work.
"If there is an outstanding quality common to great artists, scientists, sports stars, humanitarians, and business tycoons, it is not their talent -- it is their focus. Once you know what you want to do, get focused! You can‘t do everything. You can‘t save the whales, heal the sick and plug the ozone layer all at the same time. Leave some chores for the rest of humanity," Matthews advises.
People connections. Matthews says whether or not you are fulfilled at work depends on how you serve people. He defines "serving people" as simply knowing that there‘s joy in giving something of yourself which is uniquely yours.
Serving, he says, can be teaching and nursing people. "It can be selling them beautiful flowers, or repairing their radiators with a smile. It‘s not about your job description. It‘s about your philosophy," he says.*
I loved it! Reposting on facebook! :D
ReplyDeleteAng haba. Pero alam ko na kung saan to papunta. The long and winding roawwwd... hehe
ReplyDelete