ONCE while conducting a workshop on ‘Purpose and the Job’ a participant stopped my talk and asked me, “I am a senior manager of a materials department and joined this organization twenty five years ago as an engineer trainee and over the last 25 years I have gone through every experience in the organization.”
He continued, “ During the initial part of my career, the job was very challenging and interesting. However, all those exciting days are gone since I do not find my job any more interesting because there is nothing new. I am now feeling bored because I am doing a routine job.”
“ However, Sir, I am living in the same house for over forty years, I am the son for the same parents for over forty-five years, I am the father for the same children for the past ten years and the husband for the same lady for the past twenty years! In these personal roles I do not feel bored Please tell me why I am bored of the routine in the office and not in the house?”
I smiled, because I was so happy, he had brought in his own home as an example, and I was going to do the same by taking him back to his house, “Please tell, “I asked him, “for whom does your mother cook?” The executive stared at me for a moment, thinking perhaps that I was asking a rather silly question and then replied that obviously the mother cooks for others.
I’m sure he wondered why I was still smiling as I continued, “Your mother serves others and because of this service mindedness, she is not feeling tired or bored. She has a sense of purpose as she tries to make each dish tastier, so you will enjoy it. She loves serving you and others at home! But in an office, we ‘work’ and do not ‘serve’. Anything we consider, as service will not make us feel bored. That is difference between serving and working.”
“When you start considering your work as service watch and see the change in you!” The group agreed that this was a very interesting analysis! Whenever you put a larger context around your work and see a broader meaning for your work, you will take interest in your work and it will make a very big
Let’s start looking at what we do in the same way. Notice the people who benefit from what you are doing, whatever your profession. If you are a salesman imagine the end result of your product, if you are a businessman start thinking of serving your customers instead of doing a job for them. Start serving and suddenly you will realize that when you have a sense of purpose in what you are doing, watch excitement replace your boredom..!
