By Julian Kalmar
Sloppiness and carelessness destroy our happiness.
By performing actions crudely, with little regard for the quality of
the outcome, we have no chance of receiving satisfaction from our
tasks. We also lose peace of mind.
However, when we work carefully, something extraordinary happens. By
dedicating ourselves to the task at hand -- attempting to do things
as well as possible -- our minds become peaceful.
The task actually becomes enjoyable as a sense of productivity sneaks
up on us. When it's over, we feel satisfied in a job well done.
Conscientiousness, in our every movement, puts us in harmony with our
tasks. This effect is magnified when we work in the spirit of
goodness, in the spirit of kindness, or find the higher purpose in
our work.
In sharp contrast, when we hate every moment of what we're doing, we
could care less. We think, "Who cares... I don't." We fill ourselves
with dislike, wishing it was over. We want to be any place but here,
doing anything but this. The end result is that we are miserable. We
waste part of our lives to bad feelings.
A task takes the same amount of time whether we enjoy the process, or
not. But... the passage of time is also subjective. By hating our
tasks, time slows to a crawl and we sentence ourselves to prolonged
suffering.
However, by putting our whole being into a task, time flies by.Before
we realize it, it's over, time for lunch, or time to go home. We
actually get paid for working fewer hours!
Something else happens, too.
By attending to every detail, our awareness improves. We become more
sensitive to the signals we used to ignore. We aren't just pushing a
broom. We feel how our body reacts to the push of the broom. We find
ways in which we become less tired while sweeping.
We hear the way the broom sounds when it's a good sweep versus a
sweep that misses dirt. We learn better how to hold the broom; the
angle; the position relative to our body; the swing of our arm. We
become aware of the subtle details, and we become more alive.
Aliveness is the sensation that we are fully in the now moment. We
sense the world more vividly. We begin appreciating the colors,
sounds, pressures, tastes, and smells to a high degree. We become
more grateful and appreciative of everything around us.
The result is a strong sense of well being. It's like the feelings we
get from the glory of a Spring day when new life is bursting forth;
the birds singing; green buds emerging... we feel great.
Although it requires some initial effort, the conscientious way of
working, it's worth the effort. We actually gain pleasure from the
part of our lives we used to call "work."
(c) Julian Kalmar. All rights reserved.
____________
Julian Kalmar is part of a small think tank dedicated to
spreading happiness throughout the world. More happiness
teachings are available in his 4-CD audio collection,
"Happiness: The Highest Gift." Visit
http://www.thehappi nessformula. com
Sloppiness and carelessness destroy our happiness.
By performing actions crudely, with little regard for the quality of
the outcome, we have no chance of receiving satisfaction from our
tasks. We also lose peace of mind.
However, when we work carefully, something extraordinary happens. By
dedicating ourselves to the task at hand -- attempting to do things
as well as possible -- our minds become peaceful.
The task actually becomes enjoyable as a sense of productivity sneaks
up on us. When it's over, we feel satisfied in a job well done.
Conscientiousness, in our every movement, puts us in harmony with our
tasks. This effect is magnified when we work in the spirit of
goodness, in the spirit of kindness, or find the higher purpose in
our work.
In sharp contrast, when we hate every moment of what we're doing, we
could care less. We think, "Who cares... I don't." We fill ourselves
with dislike, wishing it was over. We want to be any place but here,
doing anything but this. The end result is that we are miserable. We
waste part of our lives to bad feelings.
A task takes the same amount of time whether we enjoy the process, or
not. But... the passage of time is also subjective. By hating our
tasks, time slows to a crawl and we sentence ourselves to prolonged
suffering.
However, by putting our whole being into a task, time flies by.Before
we realize it, it's over, time for lunch, or time to go home. We
actually get paid for working fewer hours!
Something else happens, too.
By attending to every detail, our awareness improves. We become more
sensitive to the signals we used to ignore. We aren't just pushing a
broom. We feel how our body reacts to the push of the broom. We find
ways in which we become less tired while sweeping.
We hear the way the broom sounds when it's a good sweep versus a
sweep that misses dirt. We learn better how to hold the broom; the
angle; the position relative to our body; the swing of our arm. We
become aware of the subtle details, and we become more alive.
Aliveness is the sensation that we are fully in the now moment. We
sense the world more vividly. We begin appreciating the colors,
sounds, pressures, tastes, and smells to a high degree. We become
more grateful and appreciative of everything around us.
The result is a strong sense of well being. It's like the feelings we
get from the glory of a Spring day when new life is bursting forth;
the birds singing; green buds emerging... we feel great.
Although it requires some initial effort, the conscientious way of
working, it's worth the effort. We actually gain pleasure from the
part of our lives we used to call "work."
(c) Julian Kalmar. All rights reserved.
____________
Julian Kalmar is part of a small think tank dedicated to
spreading happiness throughout the world. More happiness
teachings are available in his 4-CD audio collection,
"Happiness: The Highest Gift." Visit
http://www.thehappi nessformula. com