Work Hard, But Have Fun

“Work hard, but have fun!” This used to be the last thing I would tell the kids before dropping them off at sports practices.  Why, you might wonder, was this the sendoff?  I never wanted my kids to think that they “had” to play sports.  If they wanted to play, Jim and I were happy to support that by driving them to practices, tournaments, etc.  But we never wanted them to play for us.  We met plenty of parents over the years who were in the stands and had a kid on the field under duress. Their kids were being forced into the sport because it’s what the parent wanted. Due to this, we knew plenty of unhappy kids.  Some had amazing talent that never quite showed up in a game.  Instead, we saw plenty of anxiety, apathy, and sometimes even outright hostility from these troubled youth.  So, my mantra only strengthened over the years:  “Work hard, but have fun” eventually evolved into “Work hard but have fun, and if you aren’t having fun, just tell me.  You only have to be here if you want to be.”

Work hard, but have fun.  Might we apply this to life as adults?  I believe so.  Most, if not all of us, have jobs that require our attention.  Whether those are paid employment or work within the home, each job is meaningful and plays a huge role in our day.  If you have a job you love, it is easy to have fun while doing it.  If you don’t like your job, perhaps finding moments to love will help you to enjoy it more.

I firmly believe that one should always work hard.  If you have a task to complete, i encourage you to do your very best, even if its an onerous one.  Another quote we used with the kids as they grew up was “Do the Most.”  That meant that you did the best you could and gave everything you had to the task at hand. My family thinks I’m crazy, but one of the household chores that I love to do is dishes.  I might be the only person in the house who can say it, but I love to do the dishes!  Why, you may ask?  Because I can see the result of my hard work:  a clean kitchen, with dishes that sparkle and are put away in the cabinet instead of sitting in the sink or dishwasher.  It’s obvious that the job has been done. I love the feeling I get when I can see a dishes-free kitchen.  In applying myself wholeheartedly to the task, I actually find joy.

Can the same attitude be applied to a paid job?  Of course!  Even if you don’t love your job, you will begin to enjoy it more if you approach it from the perspective of working hard, but finding some way to elicit joy at the same time.  We won’t love every minute of our jobs, but we can work hard to find moments of joy throughout the day.  Give it a try, especially on a rough day.