Earlier last week I was listening to an afternoon program on the radio and heard the presenter ask the question, what is a career? The options given included; A. your life’s work, B. A part time job and two other incorrect answers. The answer clearly was option A. The phrase life’s work stuck a nerve when I began to think about my life’s work. Pondering what would be the end result of my years of toil and labor made me both hopeful yet sorrowful. Ideally I am in the prime of my life. I have energy, enthusiasm, and drive just to name a few. But one must ask of himself at the end of everyday, did I really make a difference in anyone’s life today while being gainfully employed. Did I make any positive contribution to my life other than drawing closer to my next pay cheque? Did I DO anything worthwhile? This point hit home for I plan not to be one of those individuals who are only as good as their last pay stub. The reality is that it happens to the best of us no matter how good our intentions are. To keep this post short and to the sweet I will end with the old proverb that goes something like this:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
The question I ask is this, what will be lost for the want of a job? Will it be your childhood dream, your relationships, your health, your pride etc. all for the want of a pay cheque!
Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers says the following “Hardwork is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning. Once it does, it becomes the kind of thing that makes you grab your wife around the waist and dance a jig”.
