Do you enjoy your work?
I read a quote on the Twitterer today that said, “Don’t do what you love, do what you’re good at.”
That really got me thinking. I’ve tended towards being more of a “Do what you love” kind of person. It’s something that especially in spiritual circles we tend to fall on with phrases like “God called me to this job” or “This is my gifting.”
I’ve never met anyone who God called to be a plumber or who, at a party, after a few drinks, started bragging about his great gifting as a plumber… but I’m really glad we do have plumbers.
It is easy to use the words “God called me” when you’re justifying your job as “worship leader” or “youth pastor” or “CEO of Cadbury’s” (God has refused to answer my prayers on that one) but what about secretary or waiter or street sweeper (I am not suggesting those are lesser jobs, but that they might be jobs people feel are less glamorous, perhaps).
DO WHAT YOU DO
I would hate to have a surgeon operate on me who really loved being a surgeon, but was pretty bad at it.
I wouldn’t be so excited about having a plumber come round to fix a backed up drain who didn’t know what she was doing.
So people doing what they’re good at does seem to be a priority over doing what they enjoy.
But I can speak from experience when I say that sometimes it is possible to do both.
When I was the youth pastor at the Stellenbosch Vineyard church, my boss asked me one day what I would do if I could do anything in the world at all. I replied that I was doing it. That made him quite happy, but me as well.
LET’S GIVE IT A TWEAK
So perhaps the saying should be adapted to:
Do what you love if you are good at it and have the opportunity. If that is not possible then learn to love what you do.
As someone who follows Jesus, I have actually been called to serve people. And if I am doing what I have been called to do, then I will find fulfilment in that. It won’t necessarily always be fun, but it will always bring me joy and satisfaction. Which are different things. But go much deeper and last longer.
To anyone who is stuck in a job that you absolutely hate (and I know there are way too many of you out there) here are some thoughts:
1. Be grateful you have a job: So many people are struggling to find work at all, so that is a great place to start.
2. Be on the lookout for something else that suits you better or is more along the lines of work that will give you deep joy and pleasure. A lot of people get stuck in a job because “that’s what I do” but maybe there is something else available that will suit you better.
3. Make an effort to find ways to enjoy your work. Maybe it is just about changing your attitude. Perhaps it is about finding some fresh ways to enhance what you’re doing. Maybe it’s just about starting to serve your colleagues or boss more intentionally and seeing if you can uplift those around you.
What about you? Are you enjoying the work you do at the moment? If you could do any other job in the world right now, what would it be? Leave us a comment below.