Work Shouldn't Feel Like Work

I recently finished a photo shoot, which was a great privilege to be apart of. I had been requested to do photography for a popular magazine in Seoul for an article on fine dining. Fine dining, is great in its own context, but I don’t seek it out on my own time. I dined and took photos of the culinary designs of one of the most famous chefs in South Korea. While the writer for the article and I were eating, she had literally said “I don’t deserve this,” as we both enjoyed an approximately fifteen-course meal that lasted two hours and forty-five minutes.

I’m not telling you this to brag. I don’t really care for fine dining, but the experience was quite unique. The point of this is to express how much better of an experience this was than a typical day in the 9-5 job. I’ve worked at a lot of different places. For me, it didn’t matter where I worked because I was working for a paycheck. However, the day I started working for what I loved was the day that everything changed.

It never occurred to me previously in life that work was something that should be enjoyed. Perhaps it’s a mindset of an older culture that tries to implore us to play it safe and to stick with the job that pays well. However, we live in modern times. Success can be found in any place of demand – we just have to be passionate enough to stand out.

I’ve had a client once ask me, “What makes you stand out amongst competition?” I replied that I’m honest and I don’t try to sell myself. It seemed logical but unexpectedly simple, even to myself, as I thought about what I had said. On top of that, there’s a very simple concept in life that will get you very far: be passionate.

When you are passionate, you open doors that were previously unexpected. You draw in people that you didn’t even know would show up. People are naturally drawn to those who feel great about themselves. The subconscious is way more in tune than we give credit for. Things work themselves out when you follow what you love. Energy rolls and it begins to feel effortless.

We all have to work, so we should make it enjoyable or we’re at a major loss – for the long haul. Don’t take a job because it pays a lot and seems safe. Everything in the world can change at any given moment and we can easily find ourselves out of work. Do what you love, and the energy you produce will bring in the necessary resources to be successful.

For further related reading, please check out: Eat, Sleep, Work.