There was something that I wrote on ‘great work‘ yesterday.
It did resonate with a few, who reached out to me with their comments. A majority of whose who did however, wondered if it was so essential to immerse yourself in this manner in work. After all, wasn’t work just a part of life? Why would one go crazy in doing something that essentially just helps feed the family, pay the bills and lead a comfortable life? Everyone (well nearly everyone) works, but do they need to be this involved?
Well, there are no right or wrong answers here. Each to his or her own, I would say. But my opinion is not based on the type of work you do, or the scale. I have been fortunate to train under a master, who instructed us in Kyokushin Karate, but pretty much taught us everything that we had to know about our attitude and discipline towards work, and life itself. He used to speak about the Japanese work culture in particular. Even sweepers, he said, were senseis, or masters in their discipline. They used to become so adept in the course of many years of sweeping, that witnessing them would be an enlightening experience in itself. Yes, it does sound far-fetched, but only if you view it from a lens of pessimism.
I am sure that in the course of your days, you would have come across many such masters – those who have burned themselves in their own art form, be it cooking, teaching or science – those who pushed themselves well beyond the requirements of their tasks, and becoming unconsciously competent. Thats the stage when you don’t have to think before acting – the act itself is so perfect from training. Much like the boxer who shoots out the uppercut before his eye sees his opponent’s guard going down. You too experience this in daily life – the act of tying shoelaces for instance – you don’t have to think about it – it just happens.
Of course, I speak of a much larger canvas here, but I guess that you get the point.
And so, when you look back at all the time that you spent in your work life, do you feel that you reached this stage in everything that you did? Do you feel the utmost satisfaction of doing your very best, and a bit more? Regardless of the result, that is. For the result doesn’t matter as much, if you have poured every ounce of your effort into the process.
The result just happens. And that is usually – great work.
See you tomorrow!