Joy of Doing What You Love to Do

It’s said if you love what you do, you’ll never go to work another day in your life. I agree for the most part, except for the reality even the best job has aspects you would like to eliminate or change.

But it’s true work become less like drudgery and more like play if you enjoy what you’re doing. For me, it’s writing, editing and photography – all of which I utilize in producing this blog. There’s nothing more fascinating to me than expressing thoughts in written form, trying to connect those ideas to unseen readers, supplemented when possible with photos or graphics.

This doesn’t apply to everyone, obviously. Many people would rather eat bugs than write. I feel the same way about other types of work – particularly the manual variety. I have great admiration for people that can work with wood, bricks and mortar, electrical wiring or other mechanical pursuits. Asking me to do such things, however, amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

That’s why in Leaders Legacy, the organization I work with, uses The Birkman Method, a motivational assessment tool to help people identify strengths and interests and try to align those with their vocations, if possible. If you match people with jobs according to how they’re naturally wired, work can become a joy, not a necessary evil.

A large majority of people go to work because they have to – just to pay the bills – not because they want to be there. They greet each new day with, “Good Lord, morning!” rather than a cheery, optimistic, “Good morning, Lord!”

The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23). Easier said than done, but when you love what you do, it’s not just possible; it’s probable.

Do You Love Your Work?

Someone has said, “If you love what you do, you’ll never go to work another day in your life.” But in reality every job – no matter how perfect – includes elements of drudgery and tedium. You may love what you do, but might not always like it.

The key, however, is in loving what you do. Too many people – a vast majority, according to some studies – dislike their work, even detest it, but do it anyway to pay the bills. To them, “necessary evil” and “work” are synonymous.

Having work that involves doing what you enjoy and what you are good at doing makes the difference between starting morning with a cheery “Good morning, Lord!”, or a grouchy “Good Lord, morning!”

I’m among those fortunate that discover early on what we love to do and have the opportunity to turn it into a vocation. Actually, as most professional writers will concur, I hate to write – but love to have written. The challenge of gathering information and then presenting it in meaningful, enjoyable writing stirs my creative juices daily.

By the same token, long ago I realized I don’t like repairing cars, fixing toilets, crunching numbers or selling encyclopedias. So I steadfastly avoid work in any of those areas. It’s as important to realize what you’re not good at and what you don’t like to do as it is to identify your skills, talents and natural bent.

Years ago, feeling discontented in my job, someone asked me, “If money were no object, would you continue doing what you’re doing?” That great question instigated a quest that led me to the work I do today. What would you really like to do if money were not an obstacle?

In Colossians 3:23 we are told, “Whatever you do, do you work as for the Lord rather than for men.” If you’re doing what you love, what God designed you to do, that admonition will be a snap.