“Always you have been told that work is a curse and labour a misfortune. But I say to you that when you work you fulfil a part of earth’s furthest dream, assigned to you when the dream was born, And in keeping yourself with labour you are in truth loving life, And to love life through labour is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.”
– Khalil Gibran, The Prophet
If you don’t love your job, you’re probably struggling.
If you don’t love to work, you’re not working on the right things. Find the work that gives you joy and a sense of purpose. It might not come with a paycheck, and that’s okay. Your mental health and overall well-being depends on finding some kind of meaningful work.
When I’m leading a therapeutic writing workshop, I like to write the word “WORK” in all caps on a flip pad or whiteboard, then stand back and ask students to write down whatever comes to mind from that word. Just do a brain dump.
It can be a list of synonyms, emotions, various jobs they’ve had, or a mix of all those things. What they consider to be the most important work. Physical work. Domestic work. The work of parenting. The work of marriage or a partnership.
I like to ask whether the word “WORK” holds a positive or negative connotation in their mind. And if so, why? What is it that’s shaped our views on and feelings about work–particularly the work that we do?
In The Prophet, Khalil Gibran offers a fresh perspective in contrast to the negative thoughts and ideas we might have about work. Gibran challenges us to think beyond ourselves when it comes to work, and also to value the physical aspects of work.
Marge Piercy’s poem “To Be of Use” helps to shift the conversation from obligation, responsibility, and financial security to seeing work as something deeper and more profound. To see it as part of a larger effort or greater good, as well as a balm to the soul.
Is the work that you do part of your life’s mission. or just a paycheck?
Are there other ways of working, besides your job, that give you a sense of purpose and accomplishment? Perhaps you work as a volunteer, or you make art on the side.
One of the most satisfying acts of work that I do voluntarily is grow a vegetable garden every summer in my yard. To me, there is no greater feeling than the feeling I get when I harvest and eat something I’ve grown.
My students can usually testify to similar experiences, laboring over a table they made in high school woodshop or a scarf they crocheted as a teenager.
When we work with love, we are motivated to do our best, and the result has a positive ripple effect.
Cooking is part of the domestic work some of us are so loathe to do, and a good example to consider. When I see the work of cooking as an act of love, I put love into the effort, and the food ends up tasting better. I believe that the positive energy I put into the cooking process not only affects the taste, but also the spirit of the loved one who eats it. That love and positivity continues to be nurtured and spread.
I believe that dissatisfaction in our jobs, our careers, our workplace is a major cause of depression and addiction. We live in a world of warehouses and conveyor belts and impersonal industrial parks. We must create a world that offers more purposeful work.
But also, some of the problem lies in our attitude and negative thinking.
If you cannot find satisfaction and purpose in the work you do for pay, find something else. Or do something else on the side that you love until you can change careers. One for money, one for love.
But always, always, one for love.
“And what is it to work with love? It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth. It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house. It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit. It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit, And to know that all the blessed dead are standing about you and watching.”
– Khalil Gibran, The Prophet
