TGIM: A Love of Labor

Welcome back to Thank God It’s Monday! What was one of the happiest moments in your life? If you respond and let me know I’ll mail you a free TGIM sticker! Maybe it’s hard to pick just one memory so feel free to send the top three that come to mind. In your reply let me know why you think it was the happiest moment of your life (and your address of course if you’d like the sticker!). I’m curious to see what, if any, themes arise.
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The next order of business is Happy Labor Day! I know it may be just another Monday off for many of you Monday to Friday-ers and maybe the unsettling reminder that “summer” is over (although with global warming the weather in September is practically another summer month). However, here at TGIM, we’re not in the business of talking badly about Mondays.

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Work really is something to be celebrated. There is something inherently human about the love of labor, similar to how we spoke about the necessity of progress last week. Work gives us a structured environment to progress in our technical skills, soft skills, projects, missions, and purposes. Without work, many people wouldn’t have a reason to progress because of a lack of drive outside of work.

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Now we aren’t going to love everything about our work. Horrible bosses, taxing shift work, monotonous office labor, insufferable coworkers, demanding physical labor, fruitless politics and I’m sure I’m barely scraping the surface of complaints people could have about their jobs. But today’s world affords us such incredible opportunities not to let our primary job define our lives.

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The internet allows people to monetize side hustles and engage in hobbies that might not otherwise be possible. Hybrid working models let people be work-at-home parents and provide in an entirely different way for their families. I can write this newsletter to help create a positive mindset shift which is “work” that fulfills me outside of the gym and hospital.

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So celebrate the things you can enjoy about your work. And maybe if you don’t think there’s a whole lot, then maybe you need to make some changes in your life because work is such a tremendous part of it. If you dread everything about your work, don’t waste your whole life waiting for the weekends and retirement. Change it now because you are missing out on so much joy and progress as an individual.

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Part of what makes work fulfilling is the joy of contributing to a greater purpose. Maybe you also work in healthcare and see how you impact patient’s lives. Maybe you do physical labor and see the result of your handiwork every day with every customer or project. Or maybe you teach and see how you change the lives of kids every single day and not only their knowledge but the way they grow to see the world.

It is human nature to constantly come back inside ourselves to think about our own problems, our long to-do lists, what we’ll eat for dinner, and what we will wear to the event we have on Saturday. Evolutionarily, it was beneficial to be focused on immediate threats to our safety and focus on our survival. But now that many of us are fortunate enough not to worry about predators and shelter, we instead focus on the insignificant things that create noise in our brains. That internal focus creates stress or dissatisfaction for some, and worst of all, a story of victimhood for others. The people in your life who complain the most about how their job stinks or they have the worst luck finding a partner usually have created a story of being a victim of life’s circumstances. Meanwhile, the truth is, that they spend way too much time in their own heads and not enough time contributing to the greater good of the universe.

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The more often you are reminded of how small we are in this universe, the happier you will be to realize how incredible that opportunity is. Spend time outside, worship God or whatever higher power you believe in, volunteer, read a book on an unfamiliar topic, and do your work with the intention to change the world for the better. And I promise, you will be reminded how wonderful life truly is.
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If you found some value in this, please share it with a friend you think would enjoy it! And let me know if you’d like to be added to get TGIM.

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This week, my podcast recommendation is from The Ed Mylett Show, “Harvard Professor Exposes Why You Feel Unsatisfied & Unhappy in Life with Arthur Brooks.” (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3wHuizc1SgL13BIEdxpflG?si=4zA3ox0ORrqivceMYVLejg)
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With that, don’t forget to send me your happiest moments to get your free TGIM sticker! And maybe while reading you were inspired to change your answer. Let me know what you think. Happy labor day, thank you for all you’ve done and all you will do to contribute to making this world a better place.
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Until next time,

Shannon