Do You Love What You Do?
I think we’ve all heard the saying, “Find what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” But how many of us actually love our work so much that it doesn’t feel like work? Does anyone? If my work feels like work, am I doing it wrong? Did I pick the wrong career? Am I a sucker, going to work every day while everyone else is doing what they love? This article from the Dorie Clark newsletter presents a better idea. Aim to love at least 20% of what you do- instead of loving everything, find certain aspects of what you do, certain situations or moments, that you love. Apparently there’s actual data that shows 20% is a good threshold. Well! I can do that! When I really think about my job (as a massage therapist), realistically the amount of time I’m in a “flow” state, where I’m completely absorbed in the work, or end a session with a sense of exhilaration, is about 20%. There’s probably about 20% of the time (give or take, depending on the day) where I’m actually uncomfortable- either too warm, or something hurts, or I have a difficult client- and the rest of the time falls somewhere in between. I thought about this at work today, and it actually made my job more pleasant. I allowed myself to admit that I don’t like certain things- like I’m not crazy about working on people’s arms- but also thought about those parts of the massage that make up the 20% that I enjoy. I applied the same strategy to the bigger picture- I don’t usually like greeting brand-new people (my old shyness kicks in) but I do enjoy getting caught up with clients I see regularly. It was freeing to acknowledge that there are aspects of the job I don’t like- but that doesn’t mean I’m doing anything wrong. It’s just life. So then I started thinking about running. Obviously I like much more than 20% of my running, right? Of course I don’t love every minute of every run- I’ve had some very uncomfortable runs lately in the heat. Come to think of it, I have plenty of unpleasant moments in my runs. Races where the last mile (or two) is torture, long runs where it feels like the sun is trying to kill me, and some speed work sessions where I just want to quit and lie down. Hmm, that’s funny… In all honesty, only about 20% of my runs have that effortless, flying quality; about 20% feel awful and I want to quit, and the rest are somewhere in between. Kind of like the rest of life- and yet I’ve never questioned whether or not I love running, or thought that maybe I’m in the wrong sport. I just accept the good with the bad and leave it at that. So why not do that with the rest of life- work, family, household chores…aim to love 20% and call it a success? Maybe the 20% formula is the secret to living a happier life. How about you? What percentage of your work do you truly love? Is it more or less than 20%? Does 20% sound too low to you?