Does It Really Matter if You Love Your Job?

 

A lot of people say it doesn’t matter much if you love your job. If you do, that’s great — it’s a bonus. But the main purpose of a job is to put food on the table, and actually liking what you do is secondary.

 

This is actually bad advice. There are lots of reasons, but let me mention just one: if you don’t love your job, you risk being a poor steward.

 

I’m not talking here about people who have no choice in the matter. In the NT exhortations on work, slaves are the best example here. A slave had little or no control over his work, and Paul said “don’t worry about it — you are serving the Lord in what you do, and he values it and will reward you” (see 1 Corinthians 7:21; Colossians 3:23-24).

 

But we aren’t slaves, and we do have a choice in our work. This increases our responsibility to choose wisely. And it that choice in what we do for our work is a stewardship.

 

And here’s how that relates to why you should do your best to seek out a job you love (or, sometimes better, turn your job in to something you love most of the time): you will be more effective in your job if you love it.

 

We can, of course, work hard in jobs that we don’t love. But the extra effort, the mastery that takes us above and beyond and makes us maximally effective, is fueled by enthusiasm. To the extent that you lack this enthusiasm for the activities of your work, you will be less effective. You will not be able to stretch and push yourself and grow in your knowledge and skill as highly as you could otherwise.

 

Which means you will not be contributing as much as you could. Which is another way of saying: you won’t be making the difference you could and serving others to the extent that, perhaps, is truly needed. You will be leaving things on the table — things that could have benefited others, and wouldn’t have necessarily required much more from you because, after all, you have to work anyway.

 

I don’t necessarily want to say here that it is wrong to settle for a job you don’t love. But I do want point out that finding a job you love is not ultimately a matter of serving yourself. It’s a matter of serving others, because you will be more effective for the sake of others if, most of the time, your job is something you love.

 

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Everybody would probably love to be working in a field that they love; however, some may feel that's just not possible given their current circumstances. If you are currently doing work that you no longer enjoy, try taking the necessary steps to get to where you want to be. It doesn't mean quitting your current job straightaway, it just means looking for opportunities to monetize where your passions lie. Start planning how you are going to get there.

 

What new skills do you have to learn? What new places do you have to network? You should, however, perform your current position to the best of your abilities. Be positive that whatever job you are doing now is not forever. Positive energy is essential to shape your attitude. No matter how bad your current situation is or how bad your boss may treat you, stay positive, you will build resolve and show your mind that nothing can get you down.

 

Maintaining a positive attitude can take you a long way in life. No matter how bad you think your situation is, there's always somebody that has it worse, much worse in fact. In this world one could make a strong case that many don't enjoy doing their jobs, but yet they persist on bringing the same negative attitude to work every day which exacerbates the problem. Only you yourself can stop yourself from doing whatever it is you wish to do provided that you of course have the talent for it.

 

You can continue to meet your present obligations by working your current job with a great attitude, and then in your free time, pursue your passion. Make sure it is indeed your passion, as you will have to work your body harder than usual. But passion is great for the body, the mind craves passion, it will serve to liven up your spirits, you may find it will give you more energy and enthusiasm at your current job, your boss might even want to give you a raise.

 

Even if your co-workers have a negative attitude, do your best to try and reverse the situation, always put a positive spin on something. The mind works best when you maintain a positive frame of mind. Understand that it's only temporary till your work day ends and you can go back to working on your passion. But of course your passion shouldn't be work.

 

Learn more about self-improvement and starting a Daily Mental Workout, Henry Okwo is serial entrepreneur and will help you get started on your Personal Development to help you reach your goals.

 

Why Are Reality Shows So Popular

 

Switch on the television at any time of the day, you are almost sure to find a reality show on some channel or the other. Chances are that you have watched at least one of these shows and have taken a fancy to following the minutiae of the contestants’ lives as they unfold on the small screen right in front of your eyes. Just what is it about reality shows that make them so popular and grabs your attention like nobody’s business?

 

The contestants in a reality TV show are not acting; they are being who they are in real life. The producers and the editors of the show create a captivating story line as they go snip-snip with their editorial scissors. The result is pure, unadulterated entertainment, much more potent that any soap opera that you may have seen.

 

Do people like reality shows because they are real? Or do they just seem real? Observe yourself the next time you watch a reality show. Even if it is something as exaggerated and bogus as a starlet’s bridegroom hunt, you find yourself instantly drawn to it and caught up with the minute details. You may also find yourself unwittingly switching back to the channel to catch up with what’s going on even if you manage to channel surf to another show. Reality shows are so captivating possibly because you are getting a ringside view of other people’s ostensibly private lives.

 

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Take any reality show, there will be some element of competition in it. The more fierce the competition, the higher the TRP ratings. Take the popular reality TV shows – Survivor, Big Brother or the desi Big Boss for instance. We like it when people bully each other, call each other names and engage in backstabbing all in the name of winning the competition. There is a certain voyeuristic pleasure that we derive, out of watching others fight it out and sometimes completely humiliate each other, all within the safety of our couch with a bowl of popcorn in hand.

 

Of course, there is a smattering of good too about the entire gamut of reality TV. Ordinary people from small towns get to participate and compete against contestants from across the country; the show is a huge platform to showcase their talents. People are, and always will be, obsessed with fame and fortune. The reality show contestants have their mini-celebrity status for the duration of the show and for a short while after. Some even manage to grab a couple of new shows banking on the popularity or notoriety that the reality show had generated for them.

 

Now, if you are interested in taking a peek into what happens behind the screens of reality TV, grab a copy of the novel Überstar by the Australian author Vaughn Alaine-Marshall. The author had interviewed reality show contestants from across the world before locking himself up in his study to complete the novel. The novel follows the path of eleven hopefuls as they compete for the starring role in a feature film. A must read for all reality show fans, haters and aspirants.

 

Love it or hate it, reality TV is here to stay. Producers will continue producing reality shows, big brands will continue endorsing them and we will continue watching them as long as the average human being continues to derive much pleasure from being a fly on the wall

 

Why are reality shows so popular?

 

 

There are so very many reality shows, it really is amazing. It could be said that there is actually a reality show for everyone. If you are interested in fashion, there is Project Runway. If you are interested in cooking, there is Iron Chef and The Next Food Network Star. Then it gets a little scary, if you are into the pawn shop scene, there are two shows dedicated to the pawn business. If you are intrigued by teen pregnancy, there is a show called Teen Moms on MTV. I think the popularity of these shows is multiple-fold. Some of them are quite educational, you can learn quite a bit from the cooking shows. If ever you are in need to pawn something, you will learn or at least get a feel as to what the owners of the pawn shop are looking for in the sale. There are also reality shows that investigate addictions like hoarding, morbid obesity, drug and alcohol addictions, so if you are suffering or someone who you know is suffering from an addiction, the shows can give you an idea of where to reach out to and perhaps steps to take to get someone help. These shows also cement the idea that you are not alone in your problems, frustrations and dreams. These shows can allow you to live vicariously through the contestants or players on these shows without fear of getting in too deep or getting hurt. The risk is all on them while you reap the enjoyment and pleasure of watching a show.

 

And then there is the simple fact that these shows can be entertaining, there is often a competitive edge to them and there is also a voyeuristic quality about them. The Apprentice was a show that interested me for two seasons and then I found it to be formulaic and predictable. I felt the same way with the The Next Food Network Star, the first two seasons were interesting and then it became boring. Hell’s Kitchen was another show that I found entertaining for 2 or 3 seasons and then all the yelling done by Gordon Ramsey, the chef, turned me off. The pattern here seems to indicate that I have only the capacity to stay faithful to a reality show for two years and then my interests start to wander. Right now I’m watching Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels, I really like the Simmons’ family, Gene is an egotistical rock star but his spousal equivalent and their two children are a pleasure to watch. I’ve only been watching for a few months, so if the pattern holds up I still have a year and a half left to watch.

 

I understand how and why the reality shows came about, the writer’s strike was a serious roadblock to the network’s programming schedule and they had to fill up the time slots with something and therefore the wave of all these different reality shows at bargain basement prices to produce. Leave it to Hollywood to get creative. I don’t know how much longer these reality shows will be able to feed the audiences of American with interest and voyeurism, but until it becomes cost prohibitive, I think that the reality show is here to stay.

Minutes of fame

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15 minutes of fame is short-lived, often ephemeral, media publicity or celebrity of an individual or phenomenon. The expression was coined by Andy Warhol, who said in 1968 that "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." The phenomenon is often used in reference to figures in the entertainment industry or other areas of popular culture, such as reality TV and YouTube. It is believed that the statement was an adaptation of a theory of Marshall McLuhan, explaining the differences of media, where TV differs much from other media using contestants

 

In this formulation, Warhol's quote has been taken to mean: "At the present, because there are so many channels by which an individual might attain fame, albeit not enduring fame, virtually anyone can become famous for a brief period of time."

 

There is a third and even more remote interpretation of the term, as used by an individual who has been legitimately famous or skirted celebrity for a brief period of time, that period of time being his or her "fifteen minutes

 

John Langer suggests that 15 minutes of fame is an enduring concept because it permits everyday activities to become "great effects."

 

Tabloid journalism and the paparazzi have accelerated this trend, turning what may have before been isolated coverage into continuing media coverage even after the initial reason for media interest has passed.