“Eh?” you ask. “Joy… and Work?!”
“I can understand ‘Joy of Sex‘ — b/c hey, if if it’s ‘The Pain-in-the-Ass’ of sex, then I must be doing it wrong”.
No, there really is a way to enjoy your work… regardless if you like it or not.
Let’s consider that the concept of ‘Work’ has 3 main components, so then we can address each separately:
physical– food, shelter, physical exertion
mental– decision, follow-thru
spiritual– creative, esp. creating something new
For a person to be happy, they need to be doing/making each of these, each day:
- you gotta be ‘making a living’, ie putting food in your belly & roof over your head (&/or of your dependents). Also, your body needs to move, to exercise… b/c if it doesn’t, your energy-levels fall, as does your emotional state
- you gotta make one or two decisions each day, & follow-up on them. Simple rote-work, esp. following someone else’s script, isn’t sufficient
- you gotta [feel] like you’re doing something creative, each day. You need to be able to point at something at the end of the day, & say “this is mine”
But the Secret is: NONE of these are mandatory components of your ‘day job’…. B/c as long as you get all three somewhere in your life, then you won’t expect as much from your day-job.
And that makes it easier to focus on what you are getting out of your job, b/c then you won’t be expecting it to provide what it simply can’t. Mark Twain had a quote for this: “The well-organized man is comfortable, even in hell”.
Don’t get me wrong — you can get all 3 in your ‘day job’… but it can be tough sledding to get there, sometimes. So just don’t get too upset at yourself if you don’t.
Instead, find yourself a good hobby, creative or spiritual practice, & do that daily. You’ll be amazed at how stress-free your ‘daily job’ becomes, when you know exactly why you’re doing it, & how much it can provide (& what it won’t).
…And that will put you in a much better space for when you eventually do decide to change jobs, etc. You’ll have a much clearer idea of what you want, what you’re willing to do to get it, & what you’re willing to put-up with along the way.
Because at core, you will already be fulfilled, & so whatever fulfillment the job can provide, will just be icing on the cake.