The Value of Work

Looking forward to a good rest this weekend after a tiring work week. As I slowly relax on a Friday evening, my mind begins to ponder about the nature of work and the type of work that brings the most satisfaction.

There are both boring and challenging aspects to what I'm doing now. There are repetitive tasks that I have to do again and again--these are  the 'boring' type of work. And yet I do not mind doing them because they can be done almost subconsciously. I merely treat them as opportunities to practice mindfulness--to be aware of what you are doing, no matter how boring, and to see them as actions that are most appropriate for the moment.

What is boredom anyway? Boredom always begin with an expectation. When the expectation of the mind is not fulfilled, there's disappointment and frustration. Or when nothing happens at all--like when you are watching an action movie and 30 minutes into the show, there's still only dialogue and no car-chase or nor killing-- you are both bored and disappointed.

Work can be like that. When you are doing the same data-entry task for the umpteenth time, you begin to question if this is the most worthwhile way to spend your productive working time. Is this going to get you anywhere? You begin to long for fresh challenges, where you could utilize your skills.

However for some, this repetition of the familiar is a much-welcome comfort zone. You are master of all you survey, at least in the small area of your expertise. You are never stressed and you handle every task with efficiency and aplomb. Wouldn't this be an ideal job?

It all depends on where you are in your life. If you are young and ambitious, you want to be upwardly mobile. You want to make a name for yourself and climb the ladder of success. You yearn for the glory of power, position and money. That's not a bad thing at all. One should go all out to pursue one's material ambitions.

But when one reaches a stage in life where one has a family to feed, then security of career and income become upper-most. No more risky career moves that could put one's rice-bowl in jeopardy. The daily chore of bringing up kids and managing household expenses is already a challenge enough. You see a lot of these people in the corporate world--people entrenched in their secure jobs, grateful for the regular paycheck that ensures the wellbeing of their families.

My attitude towards work is slightly unconventional. Being single, I do not have the pressure of having to provide for a family, even do I do have dependents and household expenses to pay. But the glory of corporate success never held any attraction for me, which explains my independent streak and my tendency towards straying from the 'right' way of doing things, to the detriment of my career. I never saw work as a 'career'.  

Work is action performed towards a goal. It could be any goal. And the work that is done towards that end will always present some challenges that expose your weaknesses. That is what I am grateful for. The pain one has to go through in overcoming obstacles always says something about oneself. And by being mindful of these, one can gain a lot of insights.

Work, as I've said before is a kind of penance, a pilgrimage if you will. Whatever accolades one gets in the process of performing it is just bonus. Work is a revelation when performed with the right mindset. And that to me is the real value of work.