Go to work, make a difference, today and always

A job is defined as “a paid position of regular employment,” and within that definition the word ‘work’ does not feature. Word associations such as position, post, situation and placement all feature, but not ‘work’. I wonder why? Steve Jobs, the Apple scion, was almost fanatical about the importance of people performing throughout their lives to their maximum potential. Once, he encouraged a group of young employees saying, “My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take you good people and push you to become even better.” He never used the word ‘work.’ We can take this discussion a fraction further. It is not the amount of time you spend in, devote to a job that makes it your career, but the passion you hold for it. Personally, I have little respect for those who offer their length of service as the reason they should be retained in employment. On the whole, getting, having and keeping a job, even in the most difficult economic climate, isn’t all that difficult. But working, now that’s a different ball game. Work is defined as an “activity, a task, or tasks involving mental or physical effort undertaken in order to achieve a result.” Several synonyms emerge from a simple search of this definition. However, none of them are very appealing. I mean, labour, toil, effort, drudgery, slog, sweat and exertion aren’t really all that appealing in any language. Work is not easy, and I don’t think it’s meant to be. It should and must challenge us, or we don’t move on, we don’t improve, we don’t learn our limitations in order to challenge them. We don’t become all that we can be. H Jackson Brown put it immaculately when he said, “Don’t tell me you don’t have enough time... You have the same amount of hours in a day as Helen Keller, Mother Teresa, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo and thousands of others.” Let’s face one of the painful realities of today, that for most of our young people, work is something to be done by others. For many, work has the potential to be demanding, uncomfortable, sweaty, difficult, stressful, challenging and downright inconvenient. Jobs are fine. Jobs mean titles and salaries and something to boast about, be proud of, and if it means telling someone else what to do... then that’s absolutely perfect. A job, in addition to being its definition, should always be seen as two things, a privilege and an opportunity. If you cannot see or understand why, then you are probably already well enough known as ungrateful and self-centred. If you are still reading this however, you have an opportunity (that word again) for redemption. Understanding and appreciating the fact that you have the job, while maybe a hundred other job-seekers probably applied for it, don’t you feel you have a duty to make the most of your opportunity? Look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself, “Am I the right person to be doing this job?” And maybe take a moment to reflect too that, if this was to be the last day of your life, would you still be grateful that you had the privilege of doing this job?” If the answer is yes, then go to work, and yes, that’s what you will do, you will work, because you will be driven by that passion and enthusiasm I mentioned earlier. You will work, slog, sweat and toil, but not because you must, because you want to, and on salary day, your level of satisfaction will know no bounds, because you will know you’ve earned every baisa. Now you are growing up, being better, aiming to be the best and that’s admirable. Ray Petersen petersen_ray@hotmail.com