One of my co-workers here at Spaceship is a deep thinker.
It’s not always obvious. One minute he might be showing off his brightly-printed socks or telling you about the audacity of the guy who took his shirt off at Barry’s Bootcamp.
But the next minute he might be telling you about a book on meditation or doing a financial forecast just for fun or talking about how to be thankful in life.
Because of this, I am always writing little notes about what he has told me. Recently, I was looking over these notes, and I discovered this gem:
You are paid at work for the “bad stuff” because the good stuff is the stuff you like doing.
I much prefer his way of thinking to the oft-quoted phrase: Find something you love and you will never work a day in your life.
I love my job, but I’m not going to act like it isn’t work. It’s hard work, sometimes. But that’s why my colleague’s quote speaks to me. When I’m enjoying what I’m doing — whether it’s writing this newsletter or reading customer feedback — I don’t feel as though I’m working. I’m reminded of our mission and purpose and I know why I’m here.
But when it gets hard at work, that’s when knowing I’m getting paid feels good. Because on the really hard days, you wouldn’t want to work for free!
Similarly, it’s a privilege to find something you love to do and get paid for it. Not everyone can be so lucky. If you can find a job that at least has good stuff sitting alongside the bad stuff, maybe you’re golden?
