Rethinking Work

Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of finding meaningful and purposeful work that aligns with one's skills and contributes to society, rather than solely focusing on financial gain.

Abstract

The author of the article reflects on the initial belief that work's primary purpose is to provide honest and sufficient income to support life, considering that life encompasses more than one's career. However, after realizing that a significant portion of our waking hours is spent working, the author argues that the nature of our work should be meaningful, as it occupies a substantial part of our lives. The article suggests that individuals should pursue work that leverages their skills and knowledge to positively impact society, rather than chasing the highest salary. It also addresses the concern of feeling insignificant in a large corporation, emphasizing that every job, regardless of its perceived direct impact, contributes to the betterment of society. The author concludes by encouraging readers to focus on their strengths and passions, which will lead to a love for their work, become a source of blessing to others, and ensure a comfortable living.

Opinions

Work should be an honest means of supporting life, but it is also an opportunity to contribute significantly to society.
It is crucial to choose a career based on one's skills and knowledge, not just on financial rewards.
Even roles that seem small or routine in a large corporation play a part in societal improvement.
The motivation behind one's work is essential; having the right motivation can lead to greater passion and effectiveness.
Individuals should strive to maximize their potential in their careers, which in turn benefits society as a whole.
Money should not be the sole factor in career decisions; personal fulfillment and societal contribution are equally important.
Every job has the potential to be a blessing to others and should be viewed within the larger context of societal betterment.

Finding meaning and purpose in a practical sense

When I was still studying in university, I used to think what career or work I will do in life does not really matter. The most important thing, I believed, was that the work has to be an honest one and it pays decent enough to support my life. In my defense, I believe that life is much bigger than work (career) and that work only supports life through salary. We can be a blessing to colleagues anywhere we work, and also be a blessing to people outside of work.

Then I started to change my mind after I had a talk with my friend about this in McDonald’s back at school. I was challenged to the fact that most people work 45 hours a week (or in reality it can be much more than that), which is about 40% of our waking hours!

We spend the bulk of our waking hours at work.

What naturally follows is that the type of work we do has to be important since this is the activity where we spend most of our time in.

So what is the implication that this brings?

As far as we can, we should work according to what we do best in terms of skills and knowledge, not just what pays the most. This way, we will be very effective in making the society better. Where I grow up and live, there are so many smart engineers who quit and turn to be businessman because becoming an engineer pays little or less. I am not against career switch, but money should not be the single decisive factor. In an extreme example, would a computer science graduate work as a software engineer for $5,000 a month or work as a janitor for $7,000 a month? If we can reach an influential position at work, then we definitely can make decisions to improve the society we live in. If everyone maximises their potential and use it for their career, the society would really benefit more.

What if I am just a small fish in a big pond?

But what if we think that we are just a small fish in a big corporation? What if we are just working to get pay checks and that is all?

The principle here is that the core of most jobs is to better the society we live in, and hence be a blessing to other people. We have to see the big picture, how our work connects to this principle. Indeed in the modern times, it is harder to see how our work can be a blessing to the society unless we are a doctor, nurse, teacher, etc where we directly make impact to society. Well, what about modern jobs like accountants, analysts, traders, or executives who make pretty slides? It is so easy to drift away to the routines and busyness of work and forget that we are part of a system (company) that makes the society better, whether directly on indirectly.

One may do the same small or mundane things as others, but the motivation behind is crucial. As an illustration, a few men were laying bricks upon bricks. When asked what he was doing, the first man replied that he was laying bricks on top of bricks because his senior told him to. The second man said that he was laying the bricks to build a wall. The third man said he was laying the bricks because he is building a school for children in the area to study.

We may be a small part of a big corporation or company, but we should not lose sight of the reason why we are doing what we do. By having the right motivation, we will be more passionate and effective at work.

Conclusion

Do what we do best, and we will come to love what we do. Do what we do best, and we will be an effective channel of blessing to those around us. Do what we do best and we will have enough to live by. Whenever we start to waver and get too busy in life, take a step back and ask ourselves again, what are we laying those bricks for?