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We love our work. Imagine the difference in happiness when your work life is either enjoyable or not. One of the most important challenges of life is to get the most out of it. We make high quality, stylish shoes at a reasonable price, and we love our work. We would like to share the two steps to enjoying work.
1. DO WHAT YOU LIKE
The first step is to follow your passion. If you go down a path due to pressure from others and not because you are following your curiosity, you are much less likely to enjoy your work. If you follow your passion, you are not only more likely to be happy but also more likely to succeed.
If you have a job or a business, where you would be happy to work if you didn’t earn any profits, you have much more control and money will be a bonus.
If your motivation is money, you depend much more on externalities out of your control and reaching your goal will not make you happy. Many studies have shown that increased wealth doesn’t increase happiness after a basic minimum is met. The best is to do what you like.
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
- Steve Jobs
“What feels like play to you, but looks like work to others?”
- Naval Ravikant
2. ENJOY WHAT YOU DO
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The second step is to take time to learn how to enjoy your work. Basically it is possible to find meaning and enjoyment in most work, but it is much easier if you first follow step one and do what you like.
It is possible for two people to work in the same position, but to have two completely different perceptions of their jobs. Imagine one person goes to work and is kind, and people respond with kindness, while the other person in a similar position is unkind and met with unkindness.
Once you have found the attitude that lets you enjoy your work, it is important to have your skills match your challenges at work.
If you are highly skilled with few challenges, you will be bored.
If you are poorly skilled with high challenges, you will be stressed.
You need to find the right balance, that allows you to thrive.
A great book called “FLOW” has been written about this state of great work. The author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi investigates the amazing feeling of accomplishment that can be felt when circumstances are perfect for concentrated work. He describes how a pianist forgets about himself and feels ecstasy while only focusing on the music.
For artisans it is the same. A high level of skill and technical difficulty can give a very satisfying workflow where skill and challenges increase together. The book is great to encourage yourself to enjoy work more, and as a side effect become much better at it.
We spend so much time working and the goal should not be to hold on until the weekend or vacation. Let us instead think about how to enjoy our work in the moment.