Loving Life First - Nonprofit work

Causes are dangerous. Why? People give their lives to causes. And are they successful? Sometimes yes… or worse, that it depends. My question is… what makes a cause worth someone’s life? Is it the desire to see the end? Or the intrinsic purpose in life that it provides? Being "a part of something" so to speak? It seems though that everyone lives for their beliefs whether they realize it or not. One's actions are the window to his/her beliefs.

Now nonprofit work carries a particular glamour to it. With some people unfortunately, it turns into a swagger. However, I would imagine the majority of nonprofit work is done with a good heart and intentions. And it is a place I’d like to be able to work in the future.

I have heard stories of the work being incredibly stressful, with low pay, and is generally underappreciated. Does this sound like the least bit enjoyable? This would mean that the draw is not in the ease, money or recognition. It altogether sounds very noble. Admirable, even.

I say, regardless of your job it is quite plausible to make a difference in the people around you first. Just because your company or work doesn’t nominally perform “acts of kindness” doesn’t mean that you cannot do them.

Loving Life First - Was work meant to be enjoyable?

There's an obsession with rankings. Who's number what? Who's the best? Best teams, best schools, best food, best of the best. The irony is that it's still subjective. There's typically a metric that is based on some attempted system of fairness. A dissenting opinion that is blatantly "wrong" by one may be "true"... but in the end it's his/her opinion of what's best in his/her mind. For example, a child who loves Spaghetti-O's may not enjoy the fancy Italian dish. And the greatest tasting quiche means nothing to the person who has an allergy to eggs. Ask any sports fan about a team that has become champions if the team has won completely fairly. “Best” still has unwritten stipulations. It depends on how it's measured and moreover, by whom.

So what does this have to do with work? Well, it means that the best ranked job still needs to be relevant to you. If a million people tell you a position is the best job, you might still disagree. It depends on your preference - the type of life you wish to live. Now that we have cleared things on this matter we can move on.

Last spring, I talked with a friend of mine named Amy. We were talking about the uncertainty of life and that perhaps work wasn't meant to be enjoyable. Was not part of the punishment of being banished from the Garden of Eden having to toil for food?

What I am not saying is that work cannot be enjoyable. But no one can deny that no job is perfect, and that there are certain parts of work which are not enjoyable; they may just be heavily outweighed by the benefits. There are certain aspects of my current work that I really do enjoy. Although it seems as I enjoy them for a longer period, somehow I tend to get spoiled by them. Now let's pull the major points together. We already established in the last entry that a life passion must be rooted in something deeper. Well on the surface, the outlet (via a job/work) is most enjoyable for an individual when the benefits heavily outweigh the drawbacks.

I’m going to take easy way out and not try to define benefits beyond being something that is valued and likable to the person. A simple one could be the preference to being outdoors versus indoors. More likely than not, better is easiest to define. Yet sometimes it’s not when neither is better/worse, there are tradeoffs and they’re merely different. This is definitely not something easily measured.

Ok, now to answer the primary question. Shockingly enough, I think the answer is no. Work was not meant to be enjoyable… at least not by itself. What do I mean? Work must have a purpose and significance. It cannot stand firmly on its own. Think about the father who works at Wendy’s to support his family. He may not find fun in flipping burgers and frying fries for a short while but in the end it is the deeper motivation which allows him to work as hard as he does. He is not anxious to serve you a hamburger as much as he is anxious to provide a nice dinner to his wife and children. But it does for the most part it does fulfill the life he wishes to live.

Note: This seems like an unfinished entry. I’ll try to have a concrete conclusion.

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it. – Matthew 7:14

Loving Life First - Role of Faith

Today, I had lunch with my boss. I've had discussions about my searching for work that I could feel passionate about. It was at the acclaimed authentic Chinese restaurant called P.F. Chang's and at the end I opened a fortune cookie that read, "Not knowing where you are going doesn't mean you are not going in the right direction." I thought, "Wow, how fitting..." to which he laughed, "Don't believe everything you read!"

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I have a hypothesis. It's that a passion in life cannot come without first loving life. An interesting dichotomy since people seem to pursue the former in hopes of solving the latter. At the same time, it is the latter which drives or hinders the former (whether consciously or not).

And what is a hypothesis without assumptions? I assume that the typical lures of money, fame, power, worldly possessions (tangible or not) or even love/relationships aren't enough to truly fulfill the human desires. Not anymore than a hamburger and forever fill one's appetite. If you doubt me on this, check the entertainment news. Beautiful, rich, famous, powerful people still falling into the wrong things? Aren't they happy? Just how much is enough? Just trust me on this matter or it will be impossible to accept further statements.

Don't misunderstand me; one has to eat. There are necessities. In fact, I don't believe money or any of those things to be inherently wrong. However, they may be abused. And more importantly, in abundance they still leave something lacking, something to be desired. So then the question becomes... where does a passion for life come from? Now we're getting somewhere. What drives you? What are your motivations? Are they for money? These are not easy questions to be honest about.

Going back to the fortune cookie's tacit message, is ignorance bliss? Can we accept that things will work out and the right direction is ahead if we remain clueless? Yes and no. Haha. Trick question. No, because I believe that you must take control of the wheel, so to speak. Yes because we are limited by our human ability and foresight. That's where faith comes in. Faith allows one to accept what he/she cannot control. Being myself a Christian, the salvation and hope are irreplaceable foundations. Yes, I still find myself tempted and making mistakes. But do not allow preconceived notions to cloud your judgment. I could spend all day trying to convince you but in the end you must seek the truth yourself. You may be surprised at what you find.

Final note: Faith gives guidance as well as purpose in life. It allows me to love life and is the basis of my passion and I believe it to be truth. The next step? Finding the right outlet(s).

A Passion for What?

This blog is about finding my passion in life. With any luck, it will help you find yours as well. Many honest people that I've met have admitted, “I don’t know what I really want to do in life.” Have you said that too?

First of all, I’ve realized that that’s ok. And personally, the reason is because my interests are so diverse. I am the Renaissance type, the aspiring polymath, who wants to learn about lots of things and has trouble specializing in one area. Maybe like you, my fear of being stuck in one place or field isn’t a pleasant thought. I’ve wrestled with many philosophies and have decided to start sharing my findings as a springboard for new ideas and insight.

I find that teaching something is often the best way to learn it.

These are some of the topics I plan to cover along the way:

1. Loving Life First
     a. Role of Faith
     b. Was work meant to be enjoyable?
     c. Nonprofit work
2. The Journey vs. The Destination
     a. True Motivation
     b. Sacrificing the Present for the Future
3. Looking Inward
     a. Admiration
     b. Childhood dreams
     c. Compliments and Talents
     d. Accomplishments
     e. Working Nonstop
4 The Power of Pretending
5. Personalities for Work and Play
6. Rhythm and Variety
7. Work and People

Obviously, I've put lots of thought in already. Each entry will be an anecdote and lead into one of the topics above. I plan to have pictures too... just to keep things interesting. =)