“Better be fun, or…”
Yesterday, my friend and colleague Warren Whitlock was tweeting about one of his core messages: creating a fun path through life. I joked with him about whether work could be fun (of course it can!), and he replied to me via Twitter:
“Better be fun or I ain’t doing it. If you can tell the difference between work and play, you aren’t doing one of them right”
So many people get caught up in work that doesn’t fulfill them emotionally or spirtually, stating as their reason that it “puts food on the table.”
Of course, physical sustenance is extremely important.
So I have without hesitation advised people to do any legal and moral thing to make money when whether or not there was a next meal was their primary concern.
And I’ve also advised people to do what makes money NOW – even if you aren’t passionate about or don’t enjoy what you’re doing – while you’re laying the foundation for being able to transition into replacing (and then exceeding) your income by doing something that evokes more passion and is more fun.
Although it may not always feel like the truth, what you do with each moment of each day is your choice. Even working at a job that doesn’t feel like “play.”
So with great respect for any reason you might have for doing work that you don’t enjoy right now…
What would be the harm of thinking about what you’d like to do for work that would be more fulfilling, and imagining how you could design a way to bring more of that into your life? Maybe as a hobby from which you make a little money – and then transition over time into having what’s fun also be what you do “for a living.”
Become a Master at the Art of Living
People who do what they love and love what they do are “masters in the art of living.”
Warren Whitlock is such a master.
My interchange with Warren reminded me of one of my favorite quotes. I’ve seen it attributed to François-René de Chateaubriand, and to Orison Swett Marden, the founder of Success Magazine (although Mr. Marden may simply have been quoting Mr. de Chateaubriand).
You’ll excuse the male-only reference, I’m sure, as I’m quoting the original. It applies just as much to women, of course.
“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.”
Are you striving to become a Master at the Art of Living? If you aren’t yet, perhaps it’s time to begin heading in that direction.
Your thoughts?
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All Contents International Copyright 2009 Jay Aaron: Think New Thoughts. Get New Results.” All International Rights Reserved.
The Author grants reprint permission without further inquiry only to those who provide proper Copyright credit and include a link to Jay Aaron: Think New Thoughts. Get New Results.” at http://JayAaron.com
Tags: art of living, play, Sexcess Mastery (TM), Success, work
