During the 2008 recession, I was a member of my local school board. We had to make some hard choices due to budget cuts. Some teachers would have to be laid off. The prevailing wisdom was to cut the newest teachers, but I argued against that idea. Some of the new teachers were incredible; some of the more seasoned teachers were mediocre at best, and they were just collecting a paycheck. I argued that our system ought to reward those who were exceptional and that we should help others “find their true calling.”
This was a tongue-in-cheek way of saying that we should get rid of the bad teachers, but the reality is that if they didn’t like their jobs, they were never going to be good at it. Worse, students would learn much less from these unmotivated teachers. This mismatch between their calling and their classroom would also prevent a more talented teacher from helping those who would fall behind. On many levels, their failure to find their fit would play havoc with our system.
The Greatest Job In the World
Ken Blanchard is a Management consultant, speaker, and the author of more than 60 books. He begins one of his books by writing:
I have the greatest job in the world. I travel hither and yon, observing how organizations behave. I am always looking for companies that are trying to build themselves the right way—by focusing on their customers and focusing on people-first, performance-based cultures.[1]
I relate. I get paid to play with ideas for a living. Some people think that my job is boring or difficult, but I enjoy the hours of preparation that go into my class lectures.
If that type of work sounds disagreeable to you, then it is to you. I am not trying to sell you on doing what I do. I hope to convince you that you should do what you should do.
Doing What You Love
Some people love to network. I meant they love it. I pulled up a friend’s Facebook pages last week, and it was filled with nothing but networking events. I know this guy has more business than he can handle, but he enjoys the process. It is not a means to an end, but the fun part of his job. He has found his fit.
Others come to networking events because they have to. If they had their druthers, they would cut out this part of job.
A friend in my networking group is an insurance broker. Personally, I would not want to do her job. It sounds tedious, but she says that she enjoys it because it is a great feeling to help people save money (and she has saved me hundreds of dollars). She has found her fit.
Take a hard look at your work. If you don’t love what you do, you might be in the wrong business. I don’t mean that you have to love every part of the job. I don’t enjoy grading papers, but it is a small part of the process that allows me to spend time thinking great thoughts, investing time with my students in class, and enjoying the rewards of seeing them grow. It is not just a job. It is a calling.
What About You?
What is your purpose? Have you found your fit? Would you say that you feel designed to do what you are doing or are you just trying to put food on the table? The sooner you find your fit, the happier you’ll be.
End Notes
[1] Blanchard, K. H., Ballard, J., & Finch, F. E. (2004). Customer mania! It’s never too late to build a customer-focused company. New York: Free Press. (p. 3).