The Career Encouragement Blog: The Blessing of Work

If you have a job, you are blessed. Consider what these folks had to say about the value of employment:

"A man who has no office to go to - I don't care who he is - is a trial of which you can have no conception." ~George Bernard Shaw

"I do not believe we can repair the basic fabric of society until people who are willing to work have work. Work organizes life. It gives structure and discipline to life." ~Bill Clinton

"Hunger is not the worst feature of unemployment; idleness is." ~William E. Barrett

A man willing to work, and unable to find work, is perhaps the saddest sight that fortune's inequality exhibits under this sun. ~Thomas Carlyle

If you've ever been through a time in your career when you wanted to work, but didn't have a job, you probably discovered that what you missed about work was more than just the paycheck. Of course a job is important to our financial health, but for most of us, a job is also important to our psychological and social health. For more on this topic, check out a prior posting on the importance of work in our lives. Even if you are not crazy about your job, often it adds an important element of juxtaposition to your life.

So as you wrap up 2007 and perhaps are taking some time to count your blessings, how about taking time to think about what you are grateful for in your job...

What would you miss if you suddenly lost your job?
Who would you miss?
What little rituals would you miss (e.g., a stop at a favorite coffee shop, visiting the Farmer's Market downtown on Thursday afternoons, etc.)?
How has your job helped you grow this year?
Is there anyone at your company whose hard work you rely on (e.g, an assistant who keeps your life sane or a sales person who keeps 4 production people and a customer service rep busy?)? When was the last time you let them know that their work matters to you?
How does your job help you appreciate/enjoy the other aspects of your life more?

This year I am grateful for my client work and I am grateful to be a blogger. I appreciate every single one of you who took time time to read something I wrote and maybe even to comment. May you have great joy and happiness this holiday season and all throughout 2008!