work

Light for the Journey: Turning Work into Play

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“You can get a lot of work done if you stay with it and are excited and its play instead of work.”  Joseph Campbell

Reflection

Joseph Campbell reminds us that the line between work and joy is thinner than we think. When curiosity leads and enthusiasm fuels our effort, what once felt like labor transforms into play. Time loosens its grip. Energy renews itself. We stay with the task not because we must, but because we want to. This is the hidden power of engagement—when meaning replaces obligation, persistence becomes natural. Campbell’s insight invites us to rethink productivity itself. The most meaningful work often flows from fascination, purpose, and a sense of adventure, not pressure or duty. Play, in this sense, is not distraction—it is devotion.

Something to Think About:

Where in your life could you shift your mindset so that what feels like work becomes play—and what might that unlock for you?

Crank It Up

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A farmer gave me a bit of advice when I was much younger. His advice has remained with me and served me well. He said, “Ray, wish in one hand, **it in the other. See which one comes first. Wishes come true when we work to acquire them. There’s no substitute for consistent hard work and a willingness to adapt as our plans evolve. I know brilliant people whose brilliance stayed on the sidelines because they preferred to talk and not work. I know average people who worked their butts off and made incredible contributions. J. R. R. Tolkien wrote in The Lord of the Rings, “It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.” It’s time to crank it up a couple of notches. Let’s get to work and make a difference.

Today’s Quote: Hard Work, Patience, and Focus Pay Off Big Time

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“Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today’s Quote: In Search of Self

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We never get to the bottom of ourselves on our own. We discover who we are face to face and side by side with others in work, love and learning. ~ Robert Neelly Bellah

Gathering Leaves: A Poem by Robert Frost

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Gathering Leaves

Robert Frost

Spades take up leaves

No better than spoons,

And bags full of leaves

Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise

Of rustling all day

Like rabbit and deer

Running away.

But the mountains I raise

Elude my embrace,

Flowing over my arms

And into my face.

I may load and unload

Again and again

Till I fill the whole shed,

And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight,

And since they grew duller

From contact with earth,

Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use,

But a crop is a crop,

And who’s to say where

The harvest shall stop?

Source

Easy is Not an Option ~ Advice from Usain Bolt

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Easy is not a option..No days off..Never Quit..Be Fearless..Talent you have Naturally..Skill is only developed by hours and hours of Work

Usain Bolt

Thinking Out Loud ~ A Lesson from Aesop’s Fables about Work

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Oxen and the Axel-Tree. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“A pair of Oxen were drawing a heavily loaded wagon along the

highway, and, as they tugged and strained at the yoke, the

Axletrees creaked and groaned terribly. This was too much for the

Oxen, who turned round indignantly and said, “Hullo, you there! Why

do you make such a noise when we do all the work?”

Note: I have a large extended family with lots of uncles, aunts, and cousins. I’ve been present to many family social gatherings. My dad who had jobs as a shoe worker, bartender, and janitor never talked about his work or the people he worked with at these gatherings. There were a couple of uncles who couldn’t stop complaining about their work. The uncles who complained the most were the ones who were always looking for a new job. It’s pretty much a truism, those who do most of the work, don’t complain. They concentrate on getting the job done.

Thinking Out Loud – From Aesop’s Fables – All Work is Significant

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Lion and the Mouse. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“A Lion asleep in his lair was waked up by a Mouse running over

his face. Losing his temper he seized it with his paw and was about

to kill it. The Mouse, terrified, piteously entreated him to spare

its life. “Please let me go,” it cried, “and one day I will repay

you for your kindness.” The idea of so insignificant a creature

ever being able to do anything for him amused the Lion so much that

he laughed aloud, and good-humoredly let it go. But the Mouse’s

chance came, after all. One day the Lion got entangled in a net

which had been spread for game by some hunters, and the Mouse heard

and recognized his roars of anger and ran to the spot. Without more

ado it set to work to gnaw the ropes with its teeth, and succeeded

before long in setting the Lion free. “There!” said the Mouse, “you

laughed at me when I promised I would repay you: but now you see,

even a Mouse can help a Lion.”

 Note: We need each other.  Our work may seem insignificant, but it’s not. All work is honorable and significant. My mom worked in a shoe shop for much of her adult life. She worked piece-time, e.g., she was paid by how many pieces she could process in a day. Somewhere on our planet someone was wearing shoes that she contributed in small part to their making. My dad worked in shoe shops, tended bar, and worked as a custodian. All three jobs may appear insignificant, but each job brought benefit to other people. The work you do is significant. Honor it, be grateful for it.

Feeling Good Tip ~ Is Your Work Contributing to Your Happiness?

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Is Your Work Contributing to Your Happiness or Your Stress

According to an online article in Time Magazine, “Karl Pillemer of Cornell University interviewed nearly 1500 people age 70 to 100+ for his book “30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans.” What piece of advice were they more adamant about than any other? More adamant about than lessons regarding marriage, children and happiness? Don’t stay in a job you dislike.

NOTE: There are aspects of every job that are unpleasant. There are aspects of every job that are enjoyable. When the negative aspects outweigh the positive aspects you’ll never be happy in that job. If the positive aspects outweigh the negative aspects you’re in a good place. When I was in academia I found the most posiitive parts of my work were teaching, meeting with students, and the creative aspects of my work (writing, lunches with like minded colleagues, etc.). These positive aspects far outweighed the negative aspects of academic life (endless meetings, colleagues who enjoyed arguing as much as breathing). Take stock of your work. Which aspect of your work has the greater weight: the positive or the negative.

Poem for Today

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It’s A Long Way

William Stanley Braithwaite

It’s a long way the sea-winds blow
    Over the sea-plains blue,—
But longer far has my heart to go
    Before its dreams come true.

It’s work we must, and love we must,
    And do the best we may,
And take the hope of dreams in trust
    To keep us day by day.

It’s a long way the sea-winds blow—
    But somewhere lies a shore—
Thus down the tide of Time shall flow
    My dreams forevermore.

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