Title: He’s 94
and said what?
Many of us –
including me – dream about the day when we no longer have to work and we have
the freedom to do whatever we want with our time. We want to pursue great things
like taking long vacations, pursuing art, and playing with our kids or
grandkids. So, you can imagine my surprise when a 94-year-old man at my local
YMCA got me to reconsider this idea. As he strolled by the table where I was sitting,
he said something that struck me.
”Keep working,”
he insisted. “It’s what keeps me going, and I’m 94.”
This one, short
sentence got my attention. As I
reflected on this simple yet profound piece of advice, I realized a lot of us
think NOT working will bring us happiness, but the most content people I’ve met
in my life seem to be the ones who are working. However they’re not doing
things for the sake of doing them. Rather, they’re focused on a job about which
they are intensely passionate. As I considered this connection between work
and passion, I realized that work can create great value in our lives and the
lives of others. So, when the role you have allows you to consistently create
value for others (and therefore yourself), why would you want to stop?
The lesson from
this brief encounter is that meaningful work (not just a job for the sake of
doing a job) can keep you going for many years to come. When we look forward to
a life of creating value for others, we can no longer imagine not working in
some way, shape or form. This leads me to where I am in life right now. I am so
passionate and excited by my work with married couples who say money arguments
are their number one issue. I love working with couples to help them look at
both the actual argument and all the emotions, fears, and feelings behind the
argument to unlock why they keep fighting about money. Once this happens and
the smiles return to the couples faces, I experience tremendous joy, knowing
that I have helped the couple overcome a major hurdle in their life.
How do you
create value and meaning for yourself and others through your work?
What steps do
you need to take to increase the value of your work?
Sometimes, all
it takes to change your perspective on work is to reframe the way you see
your
role at and in work.
Want advice on starting your own action plan? Give
me a call at 980-275-1627.
Talk to you soon,
Ed Coambs
Talk to you soon,
Ed Coambs
Edited by Reena Arora of Arora Media, connect on Facebook
For all your communication needs, she is all you need.
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http://marriageandmoneymatters.blogspot.com/2013/12/its-more-than-talking-about-money-it-is.html
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