Money isn’t the most important thing in life but it’s reasonably close
to oxygen on the “gotta have it” scale.
Zig Ziglar
I’ve noticed quite a few articles recently on LinkedIn
evangelizing the concept of only doing work you’re passionate about. And, some
people have taken this one step farther and actually made comments saying that
they “love” their work so much that they would do their jobs even if they didn’t
get paid. REALLY??????? What a load
of BS! I’d like to see even one study that shows people who need to support
themselves continuing to stay in their jobs once the remuneration disappeared.
So far I haven’t found one. Work without money is called volunteering, not a
job.
In the real world most of us have to work to keep a roof
over our heads and pay our bills. If you’re one of very few people who truly
feels passionate about your work, or have found your “calling”,
congratulations! You probably make up less than one percent of one percent of
the working population. The rest of us feel passionate about the direct deposit
into our bank accounts every two weeks.
This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t like our work, our
colleagues, manager and environment, but there’s a big leap to passion. In fact
I believe that we’re doing people a great disservice by making them believe
that we should be passionate about our work. It’s setting them up to fail. Here’s
what we should be telling people:
- Enjoy what you do; after all, you’re spending most of your waking hours at your job.
- You’re entitled to a good day’s pay for a good day’s work.
- You should be treated with respect and dignity in the workplace.
- Don’t invest emotionally in your job. At the end of the day you’re a number associated with a ledger entry and if they need to lay you off, they will. And it won’t matter how devoted and loyal you were to the company. Ask people from companies like Nortel and Sears what a lifetime of devotion got them.
- Get out of a toxic environment as quickly as possible.
- Jobs are not unicorns. There are always opportunities out there.
I really enjoy working and I enjoy my work, but let’s be
clear – I work for money. I’ve been lucky over the years that most of my jobs
have been really great experiences. Through my work I can pay for a lifestyle
that I love. Find a job that you enjoy that pays you a good wage and stop
searching for the passion at work. If you’re passionate about a certain cause,
get out and volunteer. There are many great organizations that would be
delighted to find a passionate and dedicated volunteer. Be happy!
They say that love is more important
than money, but have you ever tried to pay your bills with a hug?
Unknown
Make someone smile today.
Geri
