“Stop telling me to get a job!” I used to yell at my mother when I was a high school student. My mother always told me to get a part-time job. I thought, “Why is she constantly trying to get me to work? Why is she so desperate to make me work?” I’m sure some of you asked yourselves a similar question.
Several years later, I read something that opened my eyes in The Heart of Work by Ryuho Okawa. When God gave us work, He made it so that we can be rewarded for good work, and this reward could come in many forms including spiritual joy. God created a system that allows us to savor the joy of work, forever. Wow, I wish I knew this when I was a high school student.
I’m quite sure my mother didn’t think this deep when she told me to get a job. She probably wanted me to become someone who can contribute to society. Many parents wish for their children to become people who can make the world a better place to live, or people who can contribute to society. But I’m sure children would find motivation even in their part time job if they discover that work itself brings reward, too.
The point is, the nature of work is to produce value. In science, there’s the formula:
Force x Distance = Work
In other words, if you try to push an object but it doesn’t budge, it means you haven’t done any work on the object. Applying this in our everyday life, it would mean that if we don’t create or produce something new, then we haven’t done any work in society. It means we haven’t added any value to society; we haven’t contributed to our country’s GDP. Contrariwise, if we’ve added something new, such as a new idea to attract more customers to our store, and as a result, new customers came to our store and bought our goods, then we’ve added value to our store. The reward? Perhaps a pay raise or a promotion, or the spiritual satisfaction that we’ve added positive value to society. By being grateful for receiving compensation for our work, we can find joy in what we do. Do you find joy in your work? If you find yourself having difficulty getting motivated, try to recall a time when you did something for someone and were rewarded in an emotional or spiritual way. Perhaps that spiritual joy was much more valuable to you than material rewards such as money.
Also, we should dedicate our lives to our work, because doing so allows us to be rewarded with spiritual joy. Let’s be grateful that God gave us such a wonderful opportunity to fill our souls with joy!
Related: Finding Your Purpose
Have you ever wondered why you work? Need some motivation at work? Read our latest book The Heart of Work available online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and bookstores nationwide!
The Heart of Work
Success at work can bring great joy, but we find true delight when our tasks are imbued with passion and purpose. When we live our calling, we can carry on through thick and thin, because we know that our work brings value to others and personal fulfilment.
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