Why You MUST Have Peace at Work
You must have peace at work.
Last time we talked about why you must be happy at work. We're going to continue the discussion we had last time. If you didn't get a chance two days ago, just take a look at that previous discussion now. You'll find that the same reasons apply to "peace": The only way for your soul to flourish - and by flourish I mean that you are growing closer to God every day - is for you to live in an atmosphere of peace and happiness.
For someone like me, this is absolutely wonderful news. As I said last time, I've had some jobs that basically made me, if not actually miserable, then some combination of anxious and/or bored. I'm also someone who's had a healthy skepticism towards any talk about how you have to have a job you're happy with. Growing up with very little, and always having to work to get by, the issue of whether I was happy with my job or not wasn't important to me. In fact, I thought it was kind of "pie-in-the-sky" thinking. I still do.
But wait, aren't I contradicting myself? First I say that an atmosphere of peace and happiness is essential in the workplace. But then I say that thinking you have to be happy with your job is - or more accurately may be - pie-in-the-sky thinking. But it's not a contradiction.
Just think about this. You can have a job that doesn't make you happy, and at the same time work in an atmosphere of peace and happiness. The point is, it's not the job that makes you happy. The job isn't the critical part of an atmosphere of peace and happiness. You are.
Here's a simple example. Let's say you have a kind of boring job where all you do is file and make photocopies. Or maybe you enter data into a computer program all day. Something like that. The job itself isn't interesting or "fulfilling" in and of itself. Yet, you find you can do your work effectively, earn the money you need to make a living. You don't focus on how bored you are. Maybe you can even pray from time to time. Maybe, because the job isn't too demanding, you have more energy when you get home from work, so you can pursue some avocation you enjoy, or look for a job that pays more, or...well, whatever. Use your imagination and you can come up with similar examples.
(Okay, I realize that most of us can't have these sorts of boring jobs and earn enough to support a family or meet our obligations. It's just an example.)
For now, let's just boil this idea of working in an atmosphere of peace and happiness down to a simple concept now: The entire aim of our Catholic Faith is to grow in intimate union with God. Some people might say it this way: that you should aim to become a saint.
And here's a simple way to achieve an intimate union with God, or, if you prefer, be a saint: See God in and through all the ordinary actions of our lives. And what's more ordinary than our work?As we saw last time, for most of us, our work takes up much if not most of our time. It is, therefore, the ordinary thing we do during our lives. (Ordinary means normal, habitual, customary.)
Live and work for Him every day. Ask His help in all you do. Love Him with all your heart by performing the ordinary tasks of your job - no matter how interesting or uninteresting that job might be - in the best possible way.
Well, if you read this blog, you know we've talked about all this many times. What's new this time is that we now know how important an atmosphere of peace and happiness is at work.
Last time we talked about why you must be happy at work. We're going to continue the discussion we had last time. If you didn't get a chance two days ago, just take a look at that previous discussion now. You'll find that the same reasons apply to "peace": The only way for your soul to flourish - and by flourish I mean that you are growing closer to God every day - is for you to live in an atmosphere of peace and happiness.
For someone like me, this is absolutely wonderful news. As I said last time, I've had some jobs that basically made me, if not actually miserable, then some combination of anxious and/or bored. I'm also someone who's had a healthy skepticism towards any talk about how you have to have a job you're happy with. Growing up with very little, and always having to work to get by, the issue of whether I was happy with my job or not wasn't important to me. In fact, I thought it was kind of "pie-in-the-sky" thinking. I still do.
But wait, aren't I contradicting myself? First I say that an atmosphere of peace and happiness is essential in the workplace. But then I say that thinking you have to be happy with your job is - or more accurately may be - pie-in-the-sky thinking. But it's not a contradiction.
Just think about this. You can have a job that doesn't make you happy, and at the same time work in an atmosphere of peace and happiness. The point is, it's not the job that makes you happy. The job isn't the critical part of an atmosphere of peace and happiness. You are.
Here's a simple example. Let's say you have a kind of boring job where all you do is file and make photocopies. Or maybe you enter data into a computer program all day. Something like that. The job itself isn't interesting or "fulfilling" in and of itself. Yet, you find you can do your work effectively, earn the money you need to make a living. You don't focus on how bored you are. Maybe you can even pray from time to time. Maybe, because the job isn't too demanding, you have more energy when you get home from work, so you can pursue some avocation you enjoy, or look for a job that pays more, or...well, whatever. Use your imagination and you can come up with similar examples.
(Okay, I realize that most of us can't have these sorts of boring jobs and earn enough to support a family or meet our obligations. It's just an example.)
For now, let's just boil this idea of working in an atmosphere of peace and happiness down to a simple concept now: The entire aim of our Catholic Faith is to grow in intimate union with God. Some people might say it this way: that you should aim to become a saint.
And here's a simple way to achieve an intimate union with God, or, if you prefer, be a saint: See God in and through all the ordinary actions of our lives. And what's more ordinary than our work?As we saw last time, for most of us, our work takes up much if not most of our time. It is, therefore, the ordinary thing we do during our lives. (Ordinary means normal, habitual, customary.)
Live and work for Him every day. Ask His help in all you do. Love Him with all your heart by performing the ordinary tasks of your job - no matter how interesting or uninteresting that job might be - in the best possible way.
Well, if you read this blog, you know we've talked about all this many times. What's new this time is that we now know how important an atmosphere of peace and happiness is at work.
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