Inspiration = Energy

Why do you work?

I mean really, beyond a paycheck and not being homeless and hungry, why do you do what you do?

You knew this, once.

On your first day of work you knew how you wanted to contribute and make things better. You were excited and saw everyone as a potential ally.

What happened?

You lost sight of your “why.”

That, and it may not have been what you thought at the outset.

That’s okay. You get to figure it out again.

So many people resist the idea of “knowing your purpose” and “finding their passion” because real life doesn’t really fee like that. We just don’t see how our job is akin to real purpose and passion, like Martin Luther King. Jr. or whomever you admire greatly.

I’m here to let you off the hook. To tell you that you don’t have to do that.

What I do suggest you do is get clear on what matters to you. Figure why you get up every day and do what you do.

And, just as it’s important for you to know why your work matters to you, find something outside yourself that matters. You must go beyond your Ego, goo outside yourself and connect your work, you labor, your effort with something more than just you.

When you do this you have more, and sustained, energy.

You’ll bring more of your best self to everything you do.

You’ll have greater satisfaction and be glad to have hard work to do, you’ll be grateful you get to work.

But only if you’re clear about why you’re doing what you’re doing – both in how it matters to you and how it makes a difference to someone other than you.

Similar Posts

  • Behavior Always Wins

    You can tell me what you want, what you dream about, what your “Ideal Life” would be, what you want to start or stop, . . . , but all that matters is what you do. At the end of the day: behavior always wins. All that – really – matters is action. Of course, emotions beget…

  • Look Back, or Forward?

    Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. – George Bernard Shaw The only thing you’ll “find” when you look for yourself is who you were. That kind of thinking puts you, and points towards, the past. Nothing can be done, or made, or created, in the past.* Look to create yourself. That happens in…

  • Disaster Tolerance

    Are you disaster-tolerant? (Do you have reserves?) This question is well-posed in Seth Godin’s blog post (here it is in its entirety): Not all disasters can be avoided. Not all disasters are fatal. If you accept these two truths, your approach to risk will change. If you build a disaster-tolerant nation or project or lifestyle,…

  • Making A Living Or A Life?

    Are you making a “living” with some life thrown in here-and-there, when possible? Or, are you making a “life,” with some work thrown in? *  *  * I understand that I might be mis-stating the proportions a bit, but the point is worth considering. *  *  * When we “make a living,” at least in…

  • No Big Problems

    There are no big problems, there are just a lot of little problems. – Henry Ford So it is in life. We have no big problems, only lots of little problems that combine and feel like big problems. *  *  * The only thing between a fulfilled, authentic life is the solving of these little problems….