The Power of Good Work
I don't know if this resonates with you, but there's something profoundly refreshing about a week of good, productive, and mentally grueling work. I'll be at the cattle ranch this week, and I'm ready for an onslaught of 12-hour days filled with challenges, wins, brain stumpers, and needle-moving accomplishments. That excites me so much!
Will this week be fun? Uhhhh, probably not. I'm sure there will be some fun moments, but this really isn't about fun. It's about making a difference, finding meaning, and adding value to others. That's what we so often get wrong about this idea of work that matters. "Work that matters" doesn't mean "fun" work, or "enjoyable" work, or "relaxing" work. It means that by doing the work, it fills something inside us that would otherwise remain empty.
Every time I talk about the importance of work in our lives, there's one particular argument that gets thrown at me. Someone tells me the story of their Uncle Joey, who, after working until the "old" age of 65, died a year after he retired. This story becomes Exhibit A for why Uncle Joey should have retired years earlier so that he could have actually "enjoyed life."
Someday, I'd like to conduct a study to possibly prove this argument, but I think the story of the Uncle Joeys of the world is backward. Passing away shortly after retirement isn't the consequence of tragic luck, but rather, the consequence of lost purpose. Work (the act of adding value to others) is vitally important to our journey. It's far more than a necessary evil. It's far more than a simple exchange of effort for money. Work checks a box deep within us that we don't always even know is there.
No, this won't be an easy week. No, it probably won't be a fun week. But man, I'm excited to be productive, serve my client well, and add value to a wonderful team that values my service. I'll never take that for granted. I hope you feel the same about what you're about to do.
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