Facts is a series of articles where I express my foldable opinions. I know, right?
I find it really challenging to talk with people who have completely separated their work from their emotional being. For me, work is part of life and it should be a meaningful one.
I recently had a talk with a close colleague that had to do with working with emotion. Their thesis was that there is no place for emotional thinking and analysis when working. They insisted on saying that the analytical brain should be almost exclusively responsible for how we behave in a work environment.
Not only do I find this contradicting everything that my work ethic consists of, but I also find this mantra unsustainable.
Firstly, let’s make clear that it’s unlikely that you’re good at something you don’t love. If you managed to do that, you’ve probably dedicated the hours to something that does not fulfill you. The goal is not happiness. It’s about fulfillment. After all, you have to do what you love. You are that, how can you be doing anything else?
This belief steers me towards believing that there has to be a clear emotional foundation on how we work. To be great, to achieve things, and to provide, we have to convert emotions into outcomes. Rather than the analytical brain being the fuel, it seems it’s more of a catalyst.
function ValueOfOutcome(emotionalDrive) {// real life situations modifierconst situationsModifier;// Value of Outcome is the result of the Analytical Process of an emotionalDrive times the situationModifierreturn AnalyticalProcess(emotionalDrive) * situationsModifier;}
Emotion cannot be separate from work. It has to be a part of it. When working, you’re expressing yourself. You express beliefs, opinions, and strategies, world views. You cannot detach yourself completely from work. I doubt that you ever should.
People around you are fully aware when you’re doing something for the sake of doing it. No, you’re not hiding it well enough. No, you don’t convince people that you’re having a great time, when you’re not. No one who pays careful attention to what they experience really believes that you’re doing great, while not loving what you do. Again, you might do ok. And ok can be fine. You have to decide if “ok” is enough for you.
In any context, people do get it when you’re acting. Most of the time.
People who pay attention get it almost every single time.
Everyone wants to excel, right? Not on everything of course, but on what they love, sure. After all, the positive feedback loop of “love” is a mandatory part of its survival over time.
If you want to enjoy yourself when working, try doing something you love. It’s about extroversion. It’s about getting it out and sharing it. People do notice when you love what you do. The reimbursement is not always fair. Frankly, it usually isn’t. But at least you’re doing what you love and, for most people after a certain living standard, this is reimbursement enough.
If you don’t know what you love, try playing with a couple of things. Try gathering some new experiences. It’ll be fun!
If you know what you love and are afraid to pursue to make a living out of this, stop doing that immediately. Everything else is just a compromise. And while compromise can be mandatory, it cannot constitute a permanent state of being. Compromise is a trap for more compromise. Go out and do what you love. This is who you are.
If you know what you love and already do that for a living, thank you. Your contributions are deeply appreciated.
George Spanos
https://bxt.org/xvu4b