When was the last time you read a non-fiction book that had nothing to do with your employment? When was the last time you learned a skill that had no practical application in your job? One survey reported that 42% of graduates never read another book after college. 80% of U.S. families did not buy a book last year. For most of us, the only classes we take are the ones provided by or required by our employers. We learn and think only what we need in order to do our job. Our minds are being shaped by our vocations as we become what we do and look like those with whom we do it!
This vocational shaping creates a little self that must do in order to prove its worth. Even if we enjoy the learning, there is little joy in learning just for the sake of learning. Our mind has been enslaved to our job and our spirit becomes smaller and smaller. Our interests become fewer and fewer. Our relationships become more and more limited. Our hopes and dreams shrink to within the boundaries established by our day-to-day employment. To paraphrase the UNCF slogan, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste on a job.”
When we take our mind to work, we are rewarded for single mindedness. Attending job related training is required. We are encouraged to “stay current in our field” and build a professional network who can help us do that. Our world becomes smaller and our spirit shrinks to fill that world.
But there is so much more. This is generally not discovered until we reach the age of retirement and when the job is taken from us, we become lost. Many will simply go back to work to fill the void. Others simply waste away, having lost a world big enough to keep them interested in living. There is something more to life, even before retirement.
Self-care of the mind at work invites us to develop hobbies and outside interests. These may include reading or traveling. They can also mean learning a new skill like handcrafts or artistic endeavors. Self-care also encourages us to expand our social circle beyond our colleagues and co-workers. Make connections with new people. Build memories beyond those that gather around the workplace. Do not wait until retirement comes, make this an important part of your daily living while you are working. You will enrich your daily living while working and allow yourself to retire into a more abundant life than you believed possible.
This vocational shaping creates a little self that must do in order to prove its worth. Even if we enjoy the learning, there is little joy in learning just for the sake of learning. Our mind has been enslaved to our job and our spirit becomes smaller and smaller. Our interests become fewer and fewer. Our relationships become more and more limited. Our hopes and dreams shrink to within the boundaries established by our day-to-day employment. To paraphrase the UNCF slogan, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste on a job.”
When we take our mind to work, we are rewarded for single mindedness. Attending job related training is required. We are encouraged to “stay current in our field” and build a professional network who can help us do that. Our world becomes smaller and our spirit shrinks to fill that world.
But there is so much more. This is generally not discovered until we reach the age of retirement and when the job is taken from us, we become lost. Many will simply go back to work to fill the void. Others simply waste away, having lost a world big enough to keep them interested in living. There is something more to life, even before retirement.
Self-care of the mind at work invites us to develop hobbies and outside interests. These may include reading or traveling. They can also mean learning a new skill like handcrafts or artistic endeavors. Self-care also encourages us to expand our social circle beyond our colleagues and co-workers. Make connections with new people. Build memories beyond those that gather around the workplace. Do not wait until retirement comes, make this an important part of your daily living while you are working. You will enrich your daily living while working and allow yourself to retire into a more abundant life than you believed possible.
Tip - Stay Curious
The best way to stretch yourself beyond the workplace is to simply stay curious.
Keep your eyes open to the intriguing and unusual.
Keep asking questions about things that capture your imagination or do not seem to fit in your world.
Challenge your assumptions about the way things are and listen for other’s assumptions about how the world works.
Travel and meet other people. Eat their food and listen to their stories. Play their music and learn their language. Let them show you the rich diversity of life that awaits the intentional traveler.
In short, allow curiosity to stretch your mind! Allow it to introduce new voices to your inner dialogue. Allow curiosity to bring a greater contrast and depth of color to your insights. Simply ask Who? What? Why? How? and Why? And listen as your experiences, your companions, and your insights respond and open up your world.
Stay curious and do not allow your job to keep you from the abundance that awaits all who dare to seek something more.
Bob
Keep your eyes open to the intriguing and unusual.
Keep asking questions about things that capture your imagination or do not seem to fit in your world.
Challenge your assumptions about the way things are and listen for other’s assumptions about how the world works.
Travel and meet other people. Eat their food and listen to their stories. Play their music and learn their language. Let them show you the rich diversity of life that awaits the intentional traveler.
In short, allow curiosity to stretch your mind! Allow it to introduce new voices to your inner dialogue. Allow curiosity to bring a greater contrast and depth of color to your insights. Simply ask Who? What? Why? How? and Why? And listen as your experiences, your companions, and your insights respond and open up your world.
Stay curious and do not allow your job to keep you from the abundance that awaits all who dare to seek something more.
Bob
RSS Feed