Find what brings you meaning and fulfillment, and then work it like a boss.
The first human worked.
Of course, the job market was not as competitive back then, and neither were the duties as extensive as they are today for any given position.
But the facts remain unchanged: Mr. Adam worked, and humankind has been working since the beginning.
And he did not work to earn an income to provide for his family, pay a mortgage, or buy his favorite car or accessories.
Nope!
The guy engaged in meaningful and fulfilling labor, and from all accounts, he enjoyed it.
Is the path that you’re on a match made in career heaven?
Are you in love with your career/job?
Romantic relationships are complicated. Couples break up every day. Some walk away, embracing their newfound singleness; others quickly attach themselves to another.
A filler “job” may not require much investment. However, pursuing a career, you plan to retire from requires a dedication comparable to committing to a spouse. In both cases, you’re expected to play for keeps.
Choose your career with intentionality.
Our lives and livelihood are interdependent. Hence, whether we are self-employed or have an employer, having a reliable source of meaningful income is as essential as breathing.
When choosing your ideal career path, many factors are worth considering, including:
- Qualifications and experience
- Skills/Talents
- Education
- Commitments (family/personal/professional)
- Desired lifestyle, interests, values, personality
- Preference to work from home or not
- Financial expectation/obligation
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
Choose a career path that is ideally compatible with YOU.
Work will always exist; therefore, choose yours purposefully
This article is for the masses who, like myself, work for one reason or another.
On the first day he entered the world, Mr. Adam was placed in a garden and assigned a set of job duties by his Creator God to till the ground and dress the Garden of Eden.
In essence, he got instructions to be the caretaker of a garden.
Talk about physical labor. It doesn’t get more tedious and grueling than this.
Another assignment for Mr. Adam was to name the animals. Think of the creativity and ingenuity it must have taken to think of and name an animal like the Hippopotamus.
Mentally, this employee was sharp-witted and original. And not to be overlooked is the physical strength warranted to maintain and operate a one-person empire such as the Garden of Eden.
There were apples to pick, likely a few pies to bake, and budding roses to trim.
I assume these all make for exciting workdays, at least by Adam’s standard. And with zero competition or distractions, he had it made.
That was until he got fired, effective immediately.
There was no progressive or ongoing discipline path to give him a verbal or written warning, followed by a suspension. Instead, he was straight-out let go.
Was Adam fired?
Yes, indeed. He was let go.
Did Adam fail to maintain his levels of productivity and output?
Was burnout to be blamed? Or did he lose sight of the exciting goals he established when he started in his position?
The truth is, for our purposes, matters involving employees and even ex-employees are treated with strict confidentiality by HR. And being the Human Resources professional that I am, there isn’t much more that I will say about this case except:
Adam lost his cushy executive suite with a view of both the mountain and ocean, not because he failed to perform his tasks. Instead, he could not utilize sound judgment to make a crucial life and death decision in a moment of crisis.
Hence, he became an intellectual orphan with a mental limp, a snugged mindset, and a matching attitude.
Thus, this first employee failed to follow directions, which led to his defiance of God’s supreme authority. He was instructed not to eat from a particular tree.
It is also worth noting that even if you do not take directions from anyone except yourself, living a fulfilling and meaningful life requires being guided by certain life principles.
We may call them life goals or other fancy terminologies, but ultimately we follow a path in life, and on that path, we have conscious or unspoken rules and guidelines that govern our lives.
It is one thing for physical strength to fail, leading to one’s inability to perform the functions of one’s job, hence the loss of the same.
However, losing a battle of willpower speaks to each of us about the power of our minds to transform our lives and every situation we face.
We add meaning and purpose to our lives and work when we seek and find what fulfills and excites us. And if we cannot find what brings satisfaction, we have the power and mental capacity to create it ourselves.
If it doesn’t exist, we can bring it into existence.
Closing Thoughts
We must consider many factors regarding being engaged and fulfilled by work. Some people are internally motivated, having found their passion projects, while others find inspiration from other factors such as receiving an income.
With their eyes on the biweekly prize, working is the game’s name because of the results. At the same time, others lose themselves in the love of what they do, money or not. Work that excites and fulfills you is work you will do for or without money.
Whichever side you find yourself on, whether working for money or not, work can and should still be rewarding and fulfilling.
And work that excites and fulfills you is work that makes your hard-earned cash even sweeter with each paycheck.
Be intentional about your work and the financial (or other) rewards you seek from a job or career.
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