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Work Is A Four-Letter Word
I can hear the jokes already and most of them are not politically correct. Let me throw out a word that we often don't attach to work and yet I think it is a word of redemption, of contribution, of achievement, of community, and ultimately, of legacy. Here it is: LOVE. Kahil Gibran proclaimed, "Work is love made visible". I would further clarify his position by insisting that a job is what you do for a paycheck. Work is what you do for a life. It is that energizing, all-encompassing activity that allows you to bring skills to bear in ways that are satisfying beyond a pay period. It is that activity that saves you from being a faceless number in a mechanistic wheel-hence it holds redemptive powers. It is that activity which makes a contribution to a larger world order. It is that activity from which you sense a measure of accomplishment and achievement. It excites you. It gives you joy. It binds you to a community of people who are stakeholders in what you do. Ultimately, it has a ripple effect and the potency of a legacy for those who follow. "Ah come on!" you insist. "How about a garbage collector? A waiter? A store clerk? Who is going to love those jobs?" Great question. And at face value, it seems that not every employment opportunity has such grand potential. Just take the money, leave it as soon as you can for greener pastures. Screw those miserable bosses. Thumb your nose at the customer. And tomorrow you die. That's it. Plain and simple. While you are looking for the dream vocation, the better work environment, the nicer boss, reality can step in and your one moment on the Planet is gone forever. It's a reality made even MORE real by current events. There's an uneasy shift that has taken us by storm and rattled our plod-along workaday world. Many are paralyzed by the insecurity of the times. The terror of 9-11 and the subsequent global aggressiveness pushed us over the edge. With a wobbly U.S. economy, unsettled change continues to bombard us. Mega-mergers boggle the mind with the endless zeros streaming behind a behemoth's financial size. We gasp at the number of employees who are cast off from a consolidated giant. We see plant closures and layoffs in everything from clothing manufacturing to banking. Overnight web companies turn almost under-age youth into millionaires and executives at age 40 are left scratching their heads. Then, dot.coms fail, leaving bewildered employees in the rubble. Wall Street meltdown, corporate greed, and icon-like presidents who crash as fallen idols make daily headlines. Despite statistics that indicate employment is coming back, there's pain and inaccuracy behind these cold numbers. We are working more but feeling as if we're earning less and living in time poverty. Affluenza is an all too common word. The consistent notion that work should be a 24/7 event is being challenged by a rising number of strident voices. And with those voices comes a cry for the most urgent answer to sustainable success: finding meaningful work that makes an impact and lets us live in the bargain. Answer that plea and we'll unleash a productive and creative power akin to a tsunami. In short we want to LOVE what we do, who we do it for and who we do it with AND love the life we create outside that work. That's the essence-the Holy Grail-the mysterious work/life balance piece. Finding that Holy Grail is done by parallel processing, working on two tracks. The first track is to make work "work" for you in your current situation. Wouldn't it make more sense to transform wherever you find yourself-even while continuing to search-so that if and when you leave, there's a faint footprint of achievement, community, contribution and yes, even the memory of a beneficial interaction. Such a transformation allows you to love yourself in the process. It keeps bridges from burning and strengthens a network of relationships that one day you might call upon. The critical question becomes: how do you turn a "job' into a "work"-into something that gives you more than a paycheck? No, you might not be able to alter the corporate strategic plan, paint the garbage truck peppermint pink or change a boss from a toad to a prince. But, there are specific action items you can take within your sphere of influence. Too often, we expect management to lead us in career directions, to provide us with recognition, to make "it" a better place. It's just like a marriage: there's responsibility on both sides. Using the tools offered by Bev Kaye and Sharon Jordan Evans in Love it. Don't Leave It (available at major bookstores), you'll find a literal alphabet soup of specific action steps to help you take ownership for your life at work Don't wait. Time is too precious to squander. You CAN fall in love again. (c) 2004, McDargh Communications. All rights in all media reserved. Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright. About The Author Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE is one of top-ranked women business speakers in the United States. She's authored numerous books the newest of which is The Resilient Spirit, radio commentator, and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association. You can find Eileen at http://www.EileenMcDargh.com.
MORE RESOURCES: McKesson Careers | The future of health starts with you. McKesson Careers Corporate Lowe's Careers How to use AI to get a job interview and nail it – along with the salary you deserve | Job hunting The Guardian Careers City of Phoenix (.gov) Working for ICE ice.gov Careers University of Northern Colorado Careers at FEMA FEMA.gov Job Loss Is a Kind of Grief The Atlantic Careers City of Ontario, California (.gov) Careers at Prairie View A&M University PVAMU Home Careers | Home USDA (.gov) I landed job offers at Meta, Microsoft, and Google, thanks to this LinkedIn hack anyone can use Fortune Jobs Multnomah County Careers and Jobs at CRS Catholic Relief Services Careers - MDOT Maryland.gov Work at Fairfield Fairfield University Careers Baxter Employment Colby College Careers Johnson & Johnson Store Hourly Job Areas Target Corporate Career Job Areas Target Employment Opportunities | Game Commission Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov) Careers at Touro Touro University Careers at USCIS USCIS (.gov) Careers at TWU Texas Woman's University Jobs and Training at FDA fda.gov Amazon CEO Andy Jassy shares his top tips for a successful career: ‘Don’t be afraid to fail’ AboutAmazon.com Work at Butler Butler University Water Services Careers City of Phoenix (.gov) Job Search Results UnitedHealth Group Careers Jobs City of Rochester (.gov) Employment | Department of Corrections Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov) Work With Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (.gov) Career Opportunities Gilead Sciences Career Opportunities UMHB EPA employees rally in Denver against President Trump’s job and funding cuts Colorado Public Radio Careers at Willamette Willamette University Finding Your New Career at the City of Phoenix City of Phoenix (.gov) Jobs Report NFIB IOM career gateways International Organization for Migration Careers at University of Missouri Health Care | University of Missouri Health Care jobs University of Missouri Health Care Careers Washington State University Careers BASF Careers at the IOC Olympics.com Jobs at Liberty University Liberty University 5 Best Job Search Sites of 2025 money.com Student internships at J&J Johnson & Johnson Careers Healthcare Jobs at Novant Health | Novant Health Novant Health Why hasn’t AI taken your job yet? Financial Times Jobs And Careers | VA Montana Health Care | Veterans Affairs VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Careers | Human Resources Seattle University Future of Jobs Report 2025: The jobs of the future – and the skills you need to get them The World Economic Forum Work for the City of St. Louis City of St. Louis, MO (.gov) Ready for your next great job? ADP Careers Careers WV Department of Education Our Hiring Process Target Careers The Ocean Cleanup Job Seekers Illinois Human Resources Fargo VA Health Care System Jobs And Careers | VA Fargo Health Care | Veterans Affairs VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs UF Health Careers UF Health Careers Careers CrowdStrike DOGE Terminated Me After I Moved Away From My Family for a VA Job Business Insider Careers at Union Union College KPMG Careers KPMG Jobs for Veterans and transitioning military VA Careers (.gov) As Layoffs Continue, Federal Workers Face Sluggish Job Market The New York Times Careers Euromonitor Interview Guide and Tips Target Job Opportunities Bellevue School District Current opportunities Turner & Townsend Recorded Video Interviews Target RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY TO POLICY-INFLUENCING POSITIONS WITHIN THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE The White House (.gov) Job application FAQs Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services Work at UI Health Care | University of Iowa Health Care University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Surging job market could prove costly for households, businesses as odds of quick rate cuts fade AP News 3. Skills outlook - The Future of Jobs Report 2025 The World Economic Forum |
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