Joy of Work

Have you felt that you should seriously consider
moving to another employer?
Did you do so? If not, why not? 
By John Bittleston, 18 Jan 2002 

Have you felt that you should seriously 
consider moving to another employer?
Did you do so? If not, why not? 

If you did move, was the change what you expected? 
Were you satisfied that the upheaval involved was worth it? 

There are times when ANY job gets boring, when the 
daily drudge seems too much to bear, when retirement 
or a new start look very appealing. And there is a 
time to look for another job. And there is a time to 
retire - at least for some people. But there is never 
a time to let a job get you down. 

May I quote John Steinbeck? 

In The Grapes of Wrath he makes a famous statement,one
of the sayings that has shaped my own life. He says 

“The last, clear, definite function of man, muscles aching to work, 
minds aching to create beyond the single need. 
This is man.” 

I’d also like to mention a prayer I saw when I was young. 
I have repeated it many times in my life. 

“Lord, give me work ‘till my life shall end and life 
‘till my work is done.”


I was thinking about it the other day and wrote a modern version of it. 

“Lord, keep me going while I’m busy; keep me busy ‘till I go.” 

Snappier, don’t you think? It doesn’t matter which you say, 
they mean the same thing. 

So why do many people want to retire? Why is it that only the 
annual holiday keeps them from quitting and heading for relaxation, 
fun, golf? 

Partly it is because the grass always seems greener on the other side of 
the fence. 
But remember, it will look that way when you’ve retired, too. 
Partly it is because we all find work a drudge some of the time. 

I am sure you have heard people say ‘I love my job’. 
You may then have been surprised when they told you what it was. 
Not very inspiring, you may have thought to yourself. Watch people who say 
they love their jobs. You will see that it is not the jobs that are 
lovable but the people. That is an important discovery. 

If you have ever been unemployed you will appreciate the joy 
of work. Being out of a job destroys the spirit, makes you feel 
abandoned, seems like a rejection second only to that of the breakdown 
of a marriage. Deep down you ask yourself ‘What’s wrong with me? 
I was doing my best.’ 

Take heart. Most of us have been unemployed at some time, just as 
most of us have failed in a relationship. Most of us have been fortunate 
enough to survive and to ride high again another day. Not everyone, 
of course. Some have had a really rough time. 
They are the people we all try to help. 

So cherish the joy of work. It needs working at, like all good things. 
But work can be the second most rewarding thing in your life. 
I will tell you how I managed to make my work so very satisfying. 
It is a formula anyone can apply. 

First and most important, have a positive attitude to your job however humble, 
however humdrum it is. You are doing something vital for society.  
Without your job, things would be a lot worse for a lot of people. 

YOU ARE VITAL. Tell yourself that at least once a day. 

I expect you already have a lot of self worth but there is nothing 
wrong in reinforcing and reconfirming it. Lovers don’t stop saying 
I love you just because they have said it once. They say it over 
and over again. Worry about the day they stop saying it. The reaffirmation 
is partly what makes it strong and durable. 

Same with you. Tell yourself how useful and valuable you are. 
It is true. 

Second, ignore all the standards and quality levels and targets you are set.  
Tell your boss you are going to ignore them. Do better than those standards, 
achieve higher targets, aim at your own level of quality. 
It is so important. 

I try never to give people who work for me Job Descriptions. 
Why? Because I don’t want them to be limited to those jobs. I want them 
to achieve certain things, of course, and I let them know it. 
But I don’t want them to stop there. I want them to achieve all they can. 
Only in that way are they going to be fulfilled and happy. 

You can’t ignore your job description, nor should you. But you can soar beyond it, 
reach for the sky. Don’t be afraid that some people may dislike you for it. 
They will. Don’t worry that you may appear threatening to others who do not 
have your drive and ambition. You will. 

There will be one person satisfied when you have achieved all you can. 
You.
And that is the person you were working for in the first place, isn’t it? 


Trust me I’m a CEO. 

John Bittleston