Have you ever thought about why most people hate work? Here’s a better question: why do you hate work? An even better question: how can you fix that?
Why Most People Hate Work
There are a lot of people who hate to work. It’s not that they hate work, it’s just that there’s one thing about work that’s off.
Surprisingly, it’s not because of goats. You would think it would be – because they’re goats: the only animal frightening enough already to survive the apocalypse unchanged.
But, and this is the shocking thing, goats don’t exist where most people work. Of course that’s untrue for goat farmers, but why would anyone voluntarily be around goats with their fluffy fur and goat-like legs, and crazy bleating that sounds like they’re always trying to make a sound, but they can never get it started?
No, people hate work for a much simpler reason: they seek purpose. Sadly, many jobs don’t give them that. Many jobs are an exchange of money for time, changing what should be a fulfillment of purpose into a transaction as simple as buying a clock.
At the same time, knowing why most people hate work takes an understanding of why we need to work.
Why We Need Work
Imagine if everyone did nothing all day. Imagine if we all hung out, chased each other, and mindlessly wondered around. Okay, that’s basically what zombies do, but then again we live in a toxic hellscape so…
People need other people to do things to keep society functioning. More important is what work does for the individual. I mean, I’m writing here because I’m driven to write. We are driven to create. We are driven to make things and make a difference. Doing nothing would be to ignore the things that make us who we are.
Creating things that require our skill, doing things that improve our world, and becoming better versions of ourselves are all things that make life more valuable and more rewarding. Removing them would be like taking the round things off the glass and metal boxes you guys love that litter our roads.
I mean, I’m not sure what those things are, but I have a strange feeling that if they didn’t have those circular things at the bottom, they wouldn’t really have a reason for being. I say that because we have a ton of those things without round things and they seem pretty worthless.
Now, if we know why most people hate work and why we need it, how do we fix it? It’s easier than you think.
How to Fix Work
Work provides purpose. It provides fulfillment. It provides meaning. In practice, it often provides none of those – at least not to the person doing the work. Sure they exchange their time for money, but they don’t get anything of real value. Someone else does.
If you want to enjoy work then… well, you need to enjoy work. You need to do work that fulfills you and you need to find ways to make it valuable. You should have fun in life and that includes making work fun.
Do you stack boxes at a place that provides food? They you are helping feed people. Do you work at a place that assembles tools? Then you are helping people create and build including places to live and ways to get around. Visualize the people you are helping and work with them in mind. You can do it. Focus on making work more rewarding and you will succeed.
Find a place to work that fulfills you then focus on how your work changes lives for the better. When we work we help each other and we help ourselves. If we focus on how our effort does that, we make our lives richer and more rewarding.
Unless there are goats involved, in which case… run!
