“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men…” Colossians 3:23 HCSB
Enthusiasm is an emotion that’s so alien to many people today. We almost feel no spark when it’s time to work. Work just looks like pure drudgery and you’d prefer to do every other thing aside from working.
In my opinion, that’s never a good way to live life. Yes, people argue that passion doesn’t count, passion doesn’t pay the bills, go after the bag, and so on. I don’t buy any of it because I believe in getting the best of both worlds: do what I enjoy and earn a living doing it. It’s the same thing I advise others to do because I have seen those ahead of me do it too. Anything is possible.
Unfortunately, because of different backgrounds and life experiences, it’s extremely difficult for some to really enjoy anything related to work. This could be because they had to get a job urgently in order to cover life-and-death expenses, or their parents have made them go down a career path they don’t like, or perhaps it’s just the societal pressure of trying to keep up with the Joneses.
Whatever your reason may be, ask yourself the question, “do I enjoy what I do?” You can be as sincere as you want. If your answer is “No”, then you can always get started making new plans.
Before I got married, there was a period when I was utterly dissatisfied with my work. I was always bitter and complaining and kept spewing out negative emotions. My fiancée told me point blank that there will be no wedding if I didn’t find a way to become enthusiastic about life again. Ha! Thankfully I had an exit strategy in place, so I could quit the job in two months and move on.
Doing what you enjoy doesn’t mean you’re going to be on fire every day. It doesn’t mean everything will be rosy. Sometimes you won’t feel like working. Sometimes you’d be emotionally exhausted. Sometimes, the tasks on your table will look like ugly frogs that you must eat. And sometimes, you might take up a new responsibility that totally bores you. But those are just occasional experiences that come with the work package. The bulk of your days and the core of your work will see you ready and eager to get stuff done because you can’t wait to see what you create.
It may take you months or even a couple of years to move on to something you enjoy, so if that’s what you want to do, now is a good time to start. Perhaps you need to get a new job, start a different business, launch a passion project or just switch departments within your current organisation.
Identify the life you want and how you can get it. Then start taking small steps towards it. Only then will you stop existing and start living.
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