It's an obsession...
Truer words have never been spoken…
…when it comes to work that you love to do.
While photographing author Jim Knight’s new book, Leadership That Rocks, I was on the hunt for interesting and compelling pull quotes to shoot.
As I typically do whenever I get a new client book, I skim through the pages to see which ones immediately pop out at me.
If it pops, it gets shot - a pretty simple formula, I know!
As soon as I landed on the page with the following pull quote, I was ready to grab my camera as this one immediately spoke to me:
Hard work isn’t just a means to an end - it’s an obsession.
While this statement deeply resonates with me today, this was not always the case.
When I worked in the television industry, specifically the last few years, it was very difficult for me to make it through the day.
I would slog through long days, be short-tempered at any last-minute deviations to the schedule, and generally, be disconnected with the work, as a whole.
My obsession was to figure out how to ease the burden of hard work and get the hell out of the studio as fast as possible.
Mentally, physically and emotionally, I was not in a good place.
But, I needed the paycheck, so I grinned my teeth, opted for the path of least resistance, and did what I had to do.
Needless to say, it was an unfulfilling and deflating time in my life, to say the least.
Fast-forward to today and my relationship with work is completely different.
I put in far more hours than I did back then, and yet, there’s usually gas left in the tank for more. I can roll with the flow a lot easier and challenges are welcomed, not immediately swatted away.
What’s the difference?
When you engage with something that you’re passionate about on multiple levels to make a living, the world, and your outlook on the work itself, looks and feels completely different.
It’s not about making it through the day - it’s about making the day count.
Once upon a time, I used to think sentiments like this were utter horseshit because it resembled cheesy and cliche, fortune cooking wisdom
...that is, until I started serving speakers, authors, consultants and other expert-based business owners.
I’m obsessed every single day with figuring out how to offer better experiences for my clients in order to maximize the value of their investment of time and money in the work we create together.
If I had known the joy I would feel making a living by serving experts, I would’ve started doing this shit a long time ago.
Regardless, I’m forever grateful for those I serve. They helped inspire a fire within me, and that only helps to improve the work with each successive session.
And the journey along the way is now something I deeply appreciate and reflect upon daily.
Better late than never, right?
I’ll just have to catch up by continuing to be obsessed with hard work, I suppose :)
What is your relationship with your work? Please share your thoughts below.