Love Your Work or Don’t Work at All
December 19th, 2007 by Steve Pavlina
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Why is it that so many people are willing to tolerate work they don’t enjoy for the sake of a paycheck? I think it’s because most of them simply don’t know what it’s really like to be in love with their work. Their fear is greater than their power, so they never make the leap into the unknown to find out what it’s like to work from love instead of for money.
Consider the following quote from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet:
Work is love made visible.
And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger.
And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distills a poison in the wine.
And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.
Is he exaggerating when he writes that it’s better to leave work you dislike and take alms from those who enjoy their work? If you know what it’s like to really love your work, then you’ll probably see this is no exaggeration.
When you do work you dislike, you poison your output. If that is the only work you’re capable of doing, you’re better off doing nothing. Meet your needs by asking for hand-outs if you must, since at least you won’t be poisoning others with your fear and resentment.
If you cannot work in a state of joy, don’t work at all. Otherwise you’re doing more harm than good, both to yourself and others, even if you have the talent to sing like an angel. No amount of money can compensate for that kind of damage.
Decide today that you’ll manufacture no more poison.
Don’t settle for less than you’re worth. Demand of yourself that you’ll do work you love — or no deal. Your negative emotions aren’t there to annoy you or distract you. They’re shouting at you, “This is wrong. You must do something else.” No amount of self-discipline or denial can silence your inner truth.
Instead of turning away from those feelings of fear and resentment, turn towards them. Engage them head on. Dialog with them. Journal your way through them. Tune in and listen to them as deeply as you can. Get in touch with that deeper part of yourself you’ve been wishing would just go away so you can fit in. You aren’t here to settle, to fit in, or to work for money. You’re here to shine. And if you’re not in a position where you can truly shine today, then simply up and leave. Now.
December 20th, 2007 at 8:19 am
[…] You can read the rest of the post here: Love Your Work, Or Don’t Work At All. […]
December 20th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
[…] I’ve been reading a lot about finding a job that gives you joy. Steve Pavlina has written many articles about loving what you do, having a fulfilling career and essentially, being true to yourself and not giving in to apathy. […]
December 20th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
[…] Anyway, back to the work is love theme. You might like to read Steve Pavlina’s post here about never working at things you hate … as usual, Steve really puts some things in perspective. […]
December 20th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
[…] Anyway…I haven’t read his blog in probably 2 months. As I mentioned, I used to read it daily, (or at least as often as he updated it), and always enjoyed what he had to say. Then things happened…I could blame it on being busy or whatever…but I got away from visiting his site. So out of the blue, I decide to drop in today and see what he’s been writing about…and this post is at the top of his blog. I challenge you to “really” read what Steve is writing here and ponder it for a while. Are you really doing what you love to do? Or are you doing what you “have” to do to get a paycheck? I’ll be the first to admit that I’m doing what I “have” to do to get a paycheck. This all ties back in to my “100 Days To Health, Wealth & Happiness”. Do what you enjoy doing and you’ll be more successful than you can imagine! If the only reason you work is for money, then chances are you’ll wake up in the morning, dreading work, being pissed off while you’re there, and going home after work with a bad attitude. And then the stress of it all gives you a heart attack! Some great way to live your life, huh? Thats not how it’s supposed to be! […]
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:14 am
[…] Love what you do? Or “do” whatever it takes to make a living? Everyone is familiar with the idea of doing what you love. The thinking goes something like this: “do what you love, and the money will take care of itself.” Wouldn’t it be great to wake up every morning and and think “I get to go to work today!” Steve Pavlina recently suggested we do just that. Steve is a personal development god in my book — check out his thoughts here. Life wouldn’t be much fun if we all looked at things the same way; someone has to see things differently, right? Penelope Trunk thinks the whole idea of doing what you love is silly. Here’s what she had to say. At the end of the day, the “answer” is a personal one and probably falls somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. Certainly work is easier if we enjoy it. Unfortunately, what we enjoy won’t always pay the bills. The bigger picture insists that we look at this issue from more than one or two points of view. Yes, I want to enjoy my work and pay my bills. But absent this utopian existence, why not pay my bills while looking for things I love? My first responsibility in life is to me — if I don’t take care of me I can’t do much for others. One of the basic necessities of taking care of me involves supporting myself. Do that (and a handful of other basics) first, and I’m well on my way to opening up possibilites and opportunities down the road. The keys are passion and enthusiasm. If you aren’t thrilled with your current job or career choice, get excited about looking for other opportunities. Don’t limit yourself to what pays the most — chase the things you’re passionate about. Have fun! Make the search a process you enjoy. […]
January 19th, 2008 at 7:46 am
[…] Family activities beckon today, which look to be quite pleasant, but which will make it impossible for me to post anything worth reading. So, I direct your attention to someone who is always worth reading, and one of his typically full throttled offerings. http://www.stevepavlina.com: “Love Your Work or Don’t Work At All.” […]
March 7th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
[…] I just read a very powerful blog article by Steve Pavlina, Love Your Work or Don’t Work at All. That article’s content is so true. My previous experiences prove it! Read on: […]
March 14th, 2008 at 5:57 am
[…] I just realized that Steve over at stevepavlina.com wrote exactly the same thing in a post back in December 2007. And to think I haven’t visited his site since last May.. Coincidences. […]