Is working More Joyful Than Playing?

 

    This week I had the opportunity to take part in some really interesting conversation about the finances and work. Most of our discussion centered around the principal of work and so that is where I will primarily stay for my topic today. Many of us have a mindset that goes something like this. “Once I’m done with this work then ill get to enjoy myself” but how true I that statement? Especially when we are working with our families.

    I want your t think back to some of your earliest childhood memories that are joyful. What were you doing? Were you playing or were you working? You might be surprised to realize that your joyful early childhood memory was actually of you working. Interesting, isn’t it? I have a 20-month-old at home and as much as she loves to play in the living room, she will do almost anything to fell like she is helping. The earliest task I can remember her doing was wanting to throw away her own diapers. As she is a bit older now we find her running around the house with a tall or a rag and attempting to clean up anything that may be food on the floor. Or when the vacuumed comes out she runs into the room and intently watches as if she is taking notes. As I have found with our own kid n dim sure you have found with many of yours. Playing just does grab the attention of kids as much as working does. Especially when they fell like they can help. So why do we turn this round by about 16?

     I think that joy is found in work very naturally, but our society tends to smother that and tell us work is bad and that leisure is where the real joy lies. I find this to be completely false. I think as parents we could a much better job of embracing our kids in their effort to work and help. After all most young kids want to do it anyway. Why not encourage it? I believe that if we were to start living our lives in such a way that work was viewed as a good thing that we would actually find much more joy in our lives and our kids would grow up to be more determined and driven to accomplish great things over the course of their lives. I think every parent wants their kids to find what three passionate about and really work to accomplish soothing don’t they?

    From the time I was very young my dad would take me to work with him doing construction and remodel. I hated getting up early on a Saturday and working much of my summer in the moment, but I now look back and am so grateful that he brought me a long and forced me out of bed all those mornings. By doing so he instilled a work ethic and a confidence in me that has carried me through my adult life thus far. Because of that I am confident in myself that I will be able to do whatever needs to be done and I actually enjoy working to accomplish things and seeing the fruits of my labor. I now am getting ready to graduate college and have job lined up for the next stage in my life and I can honestly say that I am excited to start and good something every day that makes the world a better place. I truly believe that working will actually bring us more joy than playing especially when we do it with our families. That is a secret that I will hold on to and try my very hardest to instill into my own kids as they get older.