STOP Working and START Living
Niki Spears, The Energy Bus for Schools
When my youngest daughter turned 16 years old, she approached me and said “Mom, I think it’s time I do something with my life.” A little perplexed by her comment and the reason this high school student was engaging with me in such a way, my only response was, “So what do you want to do Brook?” She went on to tell me that she did not want to work at Subway (the restaurant) the rest of her life. Now, I was even more confused, because the girl didn’t have a job! So, I continued in a casual voice as not to disrupt the flow of our conversation, “So what do you want to do Brooklynn?” I asked. “I think I want to be a DJ (Disc Jockey) and a photographer,” she shared. With every part of my being, I wanted to scream NOOOO, but I knew that this was a critical moment that would most likely impact her for the rest of her life – choosing her passion over a job.
How many of us have had dreams just like Brooklynn but have abandoned them because we didn’t think we could earn a living doing what we love? How many of us wake up each day waiting on the weekend or time off from work, counting the hours in a day so that we can feel a sense of freedom again.
Since 2000, Gallup has polled millions of employees from nearly 200 countries around the world about their level of job “satisfaction.”
In 2013, Forbes magazine reported on the poll, saying “work is more often a source of frustration than fulfillment for nearly 90% of the world’s workers.”
The number of global employees described by Gallup as “emotionally disconnected from their workplaces” is only slightly better this year (85%) than four years ago (87%).
The rate is slightly better in some countries — like the United States, where only 70 percent of people hate their jobs — and worse in others. (https://returntonow.net/2017/09/22/85-people-hate-jobs-gallup-poll-says)
Why do we dread work when it’s something that we spend most of our lives doing? The reason is just that. Many of us are going to "work" each day instead of stepping into our passion. Let’s face it, no matter how good things are in other areas of our life outside of work, if we’re unhappy with with our work, it will ultimately impact our families and other relationships as well as the way we experience life in general.
Many of us are not skilled at leaving work at work because it becomes more than what we do, but it becomes a part of who we are, especially if you work in education. It’s difficult to ignore lesson plans when you’re trying to keep a classroom full of students engaged for several hours a day; it’s challenging to ignore the constant stream of emails that flow into your inbox when you’re a school leader and you have deadlines to meet.
So how do we stop working and start living?
Each of us are born with special skills and talents, we have so much more to add to our work roles than what is outlined in a job description. We were each born with unique gifts and when they sit dormant, we feel devalued and the work can feel meaningless.
Because each person’s happiness is their responsibility, it is up to you to bring your passion and purpose to life in any role that you assume. If you’re a Bus Driver and you love singing, how do can you share this gift with students on your bus? If you’re a teacher and you love gardening, how do you integrate this into your lessons so that you can ignite that passion in others? And if you’re a principal and you love photography; how can you share this skill so that you can bring to life all the amazing things that are happening on your campus?
In the case of my daughter Brooklynn (now 18 years old), with my husband and my support, she went on to create her own business called Brookie Cookie Makes Memories. Brooklynn has been booked for several paid gigs for birthday parties, school functions, weddings, and other celebrations to take photos and DJ. And if you have had the pleasure of watching my Energy Bus videos, she's produced many of those for me as well.
Even though Brooklynn is in college now, she still shares her passion and love for both music and photography. I recently asked her, "So Brooklynn, what do you want to do when you graduate?" There was silence as she considered a job for herself. I then reframed the question and asked, “What problems are you passionate about solving?” And immediately she responded, “I just want to make people happy!”
So how will you bring your passion and purpose to life so that you can stop working and start living?