What is Work and why is it Important?

Why is it that we work? The reason isn't just to earn money.  It goes much deeper than that.  The fact is we work to fulfill some purpose in life.  Working is innately tied to our reason for being on the Earth.  One only needs to look at anything in the natural world to discover that everything has its own unique purpose and a place in the grand scheme of things.  Mankind is no different.  There is some unique purpose that each of us are meant to fulfill.  When we are fulfilling this purpose we feel more alive and are suffused with a sense of meaning and feel in harmony with the world around us.  When we are not fulfilling this purpose we feel a profound lack of meaning and connection in life that pervades our ever-waking moment.

So if that is the case then why does everyone not have some unique career in life? Why instead do we find everybody working for somebody else?  The reason is because of the fact that finding and actualizing your purpose is truly challenging.  Rather than do this most people seek instead to simply find some kind of employment that allows them to meet their basic needs and at least be productive.   However, they will always find that there is a voice in the back of their minds that tells them they were meant for something else.  Anybody who has taken a job purely for financial reasons can relate to this.

We all know how much more alive we feel when our hearts are fuelled by passion.  It infuses with an energy and vitality that we lack in our lives otherwise.  It is this passion that is at the heart of our innate purpose.  Whatever that purpose is, when we are pursuing it we find that we are filled with passion and energy.   It is then that work ceases to be work and becomes instead a function of our being.

Because it is a material world that we live in we must do something to provide sustenance for ourselves.  This may mean that you do have to take some job simply for money.   The fact is that most everyone has to do this at some point in his or her life.   However, those that are committed to actualizing their purpose find some way to pursue that purpose outside of or in addition to their conventional employment.  As time goes on it is this peripheral interest that eventually becomes their primary employment.   In the meantime they are able to provide for their own needs and those of their family.

Information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not be interpreted as financial or legal advice. This does not represent a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. Please consult your financial advisor.