“Justify Your Job”
In the U.S. currently, there is A LOT of talk right now about federal workers having to “justify” their positions. I don’t want to get caught up in the murkiness of Elon Musk making the request and the whole “process” that is being employed, but I would like to make this comment. If you would like to be the happiest, healthiest, most fully-actualized individual you can be in this lifetime, being able to “justify” what you do for “work” should be a very easy answer.
What we “do” for our profession in this world is ultimately SO IMPORTANT to who we “are”, and even who we become and have the possibility to become, it is worth our time to spend some time thinking about our answer to this prompt. We should bring “value” to this world. We should “feel” valued for what we bring. And ultimately, we should KNOW our value and be able to express it easily.
I LOVE this perspective! I whole-heartedly agree. When I lived on the sailboat for two years WITHOUT a job, I found myself floundering and felt bored and restless and a without direction or purpose a lot of the time. One would think enjoying days on end in this state is “living the dream” but it turned out to be a lot less fulfilling than knowing you have a purpose in life through your work and how it relates to the bigger picture of our planet and contributing to its positive energy.
I do think many (or just some?) people do end up choosing jobs that fulfill themselves financially but maybe not mentally/spiritually/purposefully. Those that have found both are truly fortunate. Those that err less on the financial side but are fulfilled mentally do still get a pretty good deal!
Now you’re making me wonder about the quality of life and personal fulfillment of those who do NOT enjoy their work but justify their satisfaction financially…what is that like for them, day-to-day? What does that build in them year-to-year? What about the bigger overall picture of their view on life as a result? Hmmm….
…and what is their overall effect on the world? Positive, negative, or neutral?
Thank you for writing these words, Betsy! Yes, I agree with you agreeing with me! 🙂 Whether we want to (or are even ready to) admit this or not, what we “do” in this life is a MAJOR FACTOR in who we “are” in the world. I make this statement and people look at me like I am crazy, but I “tried” to “drop out of life” for about a day… I could NOT do it! I have HUGE ADMIRATION for those people in this world who we see on street corners begging for change and not really having a “job”, or so we think. I think “begging for your daily necessities” is one of the hardest “jobs” this world offers. I can only speak personally, but this is something I COULD NOT DO!!! I do not have the strength and resilience to KNOW others are constantly judging me and looking down on me and possibly pitying me in some way, and yet also knowing that in many ways there is NOT a significant difference between people, no matter the levels of “success.” I guess in many ways we are both thinking about the same thing, just at opposite ends of the spectrum. I DO believe, very strongly, that a person who is judged by most as “homeless, or having little” can be VERY HAPPY in this world but at the opposite end of the spectrum, someone who is judged to “have it all” can be miserable. In the end, I do strongly, strongly believe that no matter where we are on the spectrum of “work”, IF we can take responsibility for the lives we are creating, we WILL be happy and content. Such an interesting topic to think about, yea? Thank you so much for the comment.