Work as Love

“Work is love made visible.”

Beautiful, right?

But for a lot of us, it might also sound like a load of bullsh*t.

After all, work environments can be super unhealthy, both in their culture and environment. And I know that a lot of you Freedom Junkies want to have freedom of time, money, energy, and location, but your work place may not offer that.

You’re not alone. These days there are a lot of messages that tell us that the only way to be really happy and truly free is to quit your job and become an entrepreneur.

Is this true? Well, it’s an option...

BUT – and this is a big BUT - no matter what job we have or who we work for (even if it’s ourselves), there’s always one thing to follow us around. Our brain!

And within our brains are our thoughts and beliefs and, therefore, a huge part of how we experience the world. Including our work.

ALL of the hard things can be very real for us. But how we experience and interpret those things is largely dependent on our perceptions and thoughts and beliefs about it. And many of our beliefs are patterns – like our inherent worthiness (or lack there of), a scarcity or abundance mindset, an empowered or helpless locus of control – and are beliefs that we carry with us everywhere we go.

So, if we leave our job and start our own business or find a new company, if we don’t do the thought work to address how we experience life and our beliefs that drive how we feel and act, then that negative view of the world will continue.

This episode isn’t do much about if you should stay in your current work situation or leave- check out Episode 29 for that.

Today’s episode is really focused on those who are working, no matter what type of job or who you’re working for. It’s also for parents, caregivers, and householders working for their loved ones.

Today is for all of us, because work is a very intimate thing that we all do.

This is why I want to explore: How can we take this huge part of our day (and our lives) and turn it into something … sacred?

I’ve found one of the best motivators for work and for having meaningful work is whew we can start to see work as an expression of love.

David Whyte says, “work is intimacy and discovery.” He says it is a part of ourselves, and with the right work and the right relationship to that work, we can be at home in what we do – and offer our gifts to others, which is a natural human longing.

Surprisingly enough, we don’t have to have a “perfect” job for this type of mentality to be true. Sure, doing work that aligns with your values helps a lot (there’s a lot less thought work that has to be done;), but you don’t have to wait for it to be perfect before you feel good about it.

I remember my uncle, who was a janitor. You might think that no one loves being a janitor, and that may be true in a way. But I know he loved his family and providing for them. He loved the students at the school he worked at. He made jokes and laughed while working. He infused his work with love, and his life was a lot more meaningful for him as a result.

Now I want to be clear: this is NOT about settling. This is not about being OK with a toxic situation or an unhealthy environment.

It goes back to Shantideva’s quote that I love: “If you can change something, why be unhappy? If you cannot change something, why be unhappy?”

So by all means, let’s work on helping our external world align with our values. AND, in the meantime, let’s have less suffering a lot more meaning in our lives. Again, you don’t have to wait to get started on this.

Let’s take a vulnerable look at our work and what motivates us.

“Work is love made visible.”

If this was true for you, what would that look and feel like?

For me, I feel less burnout. I don’t see my work as a burden. Instead, I can see how everything I do helps me express this love I have for my fellow humans.

This has been true for me in all kinds of jobs. From coaching or refugee work to being a New York Times paper girl or working in a beauty supply shop.

No matter what you do, no matter how far-reaching or however small, how can you make it so your work is “love made visible?”

It can be how we create something at work, how we interact with others, or how we impact the physical place that we’re in.

Life is too short to be feeling bitter or resentful or bored most of our day, just waiting for it to end.

That’s not how we were meant to live.

So of course, continue to align your inner and outer life. That’s that we do in Freedom School. AND - whatever work you’re doing in this moment, find a way to help it be love made visible!

In this episode you will learn:

// How we can bring more meaning into our work – whether you already love it or not!
// How you can love and not settle at the same time
// What a better motivation is than fear of failure

Resources:

// Check out Episode 29, Should I Stay or Should I Go?

// If you’re new to the squad, grab the starter kit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll get access to the private Facebook group where you can ask me questions! Once you join, there’s also a weekly FB live called Wake the F*ck Up Wednesday, where you can ask questions that come up as you do this work – in all parts of your life.

// Want to join us for 6 months of magic and adventures in the Adventure Mastermind? Of course! Head to www.AdventureMastermind.com It’s not too late!

// If you’re interested in finding out more about how to free your mind and free your life, now is the perfect time to join Freedom School. Enrollment is open, and we are diving DEEP into ways to cultivate clarity and courage so you can create your best life. There are also some sweet bonus courses for you there. It will set you up to live the best version of you in the year to come. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com.