The best thing about my job is that I get to see so many other people do their jobs.
In the last 20 years, as I’ve been consulting to organizations, facilitating teams, and coaching leaders, I’ve worked with carpenters, HVAC technicians, teachers, social workers, first responders, nurses, doctors, chaplains, pastors, rabbis, policy makers, elected officials, librarians, and grocery store managers. I’ve worked with farmers, graphic designers, foresters, attorneys, real estate brokers, aerospace manufacturers, fundraisers, professors, booksellers, and artists.
What they have in common is that they care about their work, and they find it hard sometimes. And I find myself saying, with a lot of compassion, “That’s why they call it work!” Work is an exchange—we figure out problems or endure hard or boring days in exchange for a paycheck.
Of course, there are better workplaces than others. And, if we have the bandwidth and support, some of us have the luxury of taking time to discern the kind of work we’re best suited for. But even in a fair, purpose-driven workplace in a job that might suit you just perfectly, you’re going to experience stress. You’re going to second-guess yourself or worry about a performance review. You’re going to be sad or upset when a favorite boss leaves. You’re going to occasionally lose sleep.
If we’re awake to ourselves and in community, these conundrums can keep us engaged with life and help us grow. There is some research to suggest that what humans really need and want is the satisfaction of solving problems. In other words, we need to be in the mix, whether we are paid for it or not. It’s good for us when people depend on us, when we are responsible to produce something.
I notice we tend toward the extremes when we talk about work. Either we get far too much of our identity from it, or we’re villainizing it. If we can right-size the role of work in our lives, we might be able to experience what’s called “eustress,” or positive stress. Not bore-out or burnout, but something in the middle.
At its most elemental, a job is about our survival. With all the talk about “thriving” versus “surviving,” I think we’ve lost how precious it is to survive. The energy spent on survival is energy well-spent. And it’s the only thing most non-human creatures know! For a bird or beaver, every moment is a negotiation with reality, finding food, shelter, and protection. Together, those maneuvers make up the natural world that supports and astonishes us every day. We are invited to be part of that dance. It’s often hard, but it’s often beautiful, too.
As summer peeks its head around the corner, I’m encountering a familiar antsy-ness. I want to take the next 4 months off, of course! And I wish all of us had fat vacation funds and employers that could make that possible far more often. So, I will remind myself that survival is holy. I’ll pay attention to what is in front of me each day with the knowledge that there isn’t something better out there somewhere. This is the curriculum, this feels like work, and how blessed I am to be in the mix.