What’s your true business motivation?
Self magazine just told me that according to a study in Women’s Health Issues, “people who moved for their general well-being sweat longer than those whose goal was to shed pounds.”
Ahh.. that explains a lot. When I first started training for a marathon, my primary motivation was to lose the pounds. I ended up gaining 10 pounds during the first training season (what?? I was hungry, dang it!), and then putting on another 10 after the event. Yeah. Not good.
But then I got dumped, and I joined the gym that very day. I started running because it felt good, and I was tired of feeling bad. I started thinking of the nights at the gym as gifts to myself… an hour or more on the treadmill, a half hour in the hot tub, another 30 minutes in the sauna. I made an event out of each night, and, eventually, the pounds came off.
Now let’s apply the same logic to careers. If you’re reading this at work right now, ask yourself the tough questions about where you really want to spend the majority of your waking hours. Are you working for your paycheck — just doing it for the numbers? Or are you doing something that gives you pleasure that happens to have the ancillary benefit of helping you to pay the bills?
Claire on 25 Nov 2008 at 7:57 am #
Excellent correlation, I think. I agree – working, or working out, because it feels good is the best approach, rather than just for the numbers. However, I’m in week three of no income and I’m looking at anything right now – just to bring a paycheck in… anything. Even waitressing. Seriously. I have a job lined up, but it’s being held up by red tape (as in the PO has to get signed.)
Erin on 25 Nov 2008 at 12:13 pm #
Humm considering that I will most likely NEVER have an awesome pay check and they can’t get me out of school… I’m going to assume I’m working for the love of it
I just combined my love of school and running/swimming… I signed up for two PE classes 
And cause of you I run for the love of it too
Jenny on 25 Nov 2008 at 12:25 pm #
Great blog, Beth. I think people who can find their passion and get paid for it are by far the luckiest people in the world. We spend the majority of our waking hours working. It might as well give us pleasure. Though in this economy and the fact that many people have no idea how to turn their passions into profit, to make work more enjoyable find the little things that bring joy. I’m utilitarian, but used to manage a gift and book store filled with trinkets. Consumerism. I loved my customers. One needed help with meditation, one a perfect gift for her husband – assisting their lives benefited mine immensely. Right now I crunch numbers, which is not my passion, but the end result is that I help people avoid losing their businesses and homes from having to cleanup an unintentional environmental spill. The added bonus is I play a part in cleaning up the earth! I remind myself of my role whenever my mind is as numb as can be from accounting. It is truly where you focus that brings about comfort or dismay. It’s a good time of year to focus on thanksgiving.