Why do we work and what do we work for?

I am an avid stumbler. I love it. I was pressing the stumble button the other day when I came across a page on the abolition of work. It’s a very insightful post but that’s not why I am mentioning it. It got me thinking. Why do we work and what do we want to work for?

Why do we work?

In a blog post I have a limited amount of space to answer a question of this magnitude. Some do it for joy, they love what they do but I would think that most of us do it to stay alive. Simple answer. The question is: what attracted us to the line of work we are currently undertaking? For me, I liked the idea of teaching and doing research. My kind of research is pragmatic so I am aiming to improve something and study how it’s done. That said, I only really do that 10% of the time I am at work. 90% of the time I am doing admin or some other requirement of my job. So why do I work?

I do it because I have to, not necessarily because I want to. I was reading this morning that we were made to enjoy our life. There are two groups of people I think. Those that do something they enjoy and make it and those the don’t. Those that end up living their live and enjoying it are far and few between. I rarely meet individuals who have taken steps towards their dreams. Perhaps it’s the overwhelming security complex we have as people I can’t say for sure.

I remember a while ago I was blessed to spend time with a life coach who showed me something about myself I didn’t realise. Every time we talked about something I was dreaming about or something I really wanted to do I had automatically created the excuse for why it wasn’t possible. I was particularly afraid of promoting myself. She taught me to visualise a stinky Mullet every time I felt that fear. After a few times of doing it I no longer felt that fear. I suspect the most successful of us don’t stop to anticipate what might go wrong for too long. If they do I can’t say that it bothers them all that much.

I think we work out of necessity but when you get right down to it… I believe we work because we have to. Obviously when you see people enjoying their work and succeeding you have to wonder… what is it that they do that’s different to me? I have found this one thing. They pursue their goals relentlessly as though they already had it. I will leave you with that thought.

What do we work for?

Why we work is really a no brainer. What we work for is definitely a more complex question. I believe it’s a question of how we identify ourselves. We usually make the mistake of attaching our ’self’ or ‘identity’ to our work and make that apart of us. Who told you had to work the same job your whole life? You are not your job (thanks Fight Club). What you do is not you. You are you. You with all your personality traits, habits and problems that’s you. What you do… you do out of necessity because you have to do to survive in this culture. If you are a go getter you will reach your goals and do something different. But guess what you will still be you and not what you do. Try this: next time someone asks you what you do for a living say, ‘Well I work for such and such doing this or that.’ Don’t say, I’m a lawyer because you’re not a lawyer that’s what you do… that’s behaviour… it’s not you.

I believe the majority of us work because of our identity. We think or have been brainwashed more likely, into thinking that work is us. You are a human being. You can’t be anymore than that. You have a uniqueness, talents, gifts which you need to offer to the world (I am saying this to me big time). But, you are not the job you have. You are not what you drive where you live or what you eat. You are you. That’s it, baby.

As you go about your weekend why not relax in the knowledge that you don’t have to be anything. Work is what you do for money. I am hoping that when I can come up with something of more value to offer instead of a 9-5 then I won’t have to work as much. I am certainly going to have to stretch myself to get a house. As I heard someone say once: You don’t work for money you have something of value you offer to someone who exploits it so they can make more than you. Put another way, you have been hired because of your value to solve a problem. That doesn’t mean you will do it forever. One day you may come up with another way to add value and people will exchange more money for that. It ain’t the money it’s the value you create.

So we work out of necessity (most of us) and we work for our identity. I wonder if you accepted a different identity if your behaviour would change? What if you began seeing yourself living a dream? How would that impact your life?

This part two of an on-going series of articles about bringing the heart back to business.  Click here to read part one.

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