Do you labor? When you think about your job or career, does it feel difficult and as if you don’t get the desired results no matter how hard you work?
You aren’t alone. Millions of people experience their jobs as laborious.
I’ve been thinking about this topic because it’s Labor Day here in the U.S. This federal holiday honors and recognizes the American labor movement and the laborers’ contributions to the country’s development and achievements.
Most people enjoy a day off work on Labor Day. Of course, if they consider their work “labor,” it’s no wonder.
Yet, some people experience their jobs or careers as “play.” They enjoy what they do, and, therefore, it feels effortless.
Remember that you can labor in other areas of life, too. For example, parenting, cleaning the house, keeping up with bills or finances, losing weight, exercising, or walking the dog can feel laborious. For this blog post, though, let’s focus on your work life.
Labor Means Hard Work
When you hear the word “labor,” what comes to mind? What does the word mean to you?
Consider the word’s definition:
- work, especially hard physical work.
- work hard; make great effort.
- have difficulty in doing something despite working hard. Is that how you feel about what you do 40 or more hours per week?
Imagine what life would be like if your job felt different…if you felt inspired and motivated every morning to get to work and fulfilled and happy at the end of the workday. How would it alter the quality of your life if you were doing your “life’s work,” your job felt like play, you knew you were contributing meaningfully, or you had a career that allowed you to fulfill you soul’s purpose?
Pretty amazing, right?
And what if you could transform work into something other than labor?
Well, it is possible…if your job or career is congruent with your identity.
Congruence is Key
Congruence means agreement, harmony or compatibility. Something is congruent when it is similar or fits together nicely with something else. Everything shifts when you know who you are or decide who you want to be and align your thoughts and actions with that identity. You become congruent, which means your inner and outer worlds align.
Thus, it makes sense that if your job is congruent with your authentic self, it will feel harmonious and aligned. If you think of your career as your life’s work or a mission, the emotions you have around doing the work entailed will be positive. And that means you job won’t be labor. Instead, it will be fun, fulfilling, and easy.
One of the members of the Inspired Creator Community realized she was out of congruence. She was doing a job she was good at, but she wasn’t excited or passionate about it. She wanted to do something that interested her more and utilized her unique gifts. Basically, she wanted to do her life’s work. So, she quit!
At that moment, she and her life transformed. She created internal congruence with her identity and her career. As a result, her new “job” made her extremely happy. And, as the saying goes, she never “worked” another day in her life.
Change Your Mind about Labor
Not everyone has to quit for their job to be aligned or congruent. Sometimes, all it takes is an attitude or mindset shift.
For example, you could choose to see your job as fun or a way of serving others. A simple change in how you think about your work can make all the difference in how you experience it.
You can stop laboring by forming a new job-related habit, like smiling or listening to uplifting music while you work. Or take small steps toward congruence by acting on intuitive nudges that guide you to change how you work or what type of work you do.
In this manner, little by little, work stops feeling like labor. Step by step, your feelings about what you do—as well as what you choose to do—for a career changes.
And that is the result of altering your mindset and habits around work. As a result, you transform, and your job stops feeling like labor.
Feel Free to Choose Your Job
However, a sense of personal freedom provides a key element to transforming yourself and your work. For example, maybe you believe you can’t quit your job or find a different position. In that case, you allow yourself to be a victim of circumstance. From that mental and emotional place, it’s difficult to feel free to make even a tiny change in your work situation, let alone in any other life arena. You are rendered powerless to make a change that allows you to stop laboring.
However, you are always free to make new choices and take new actions. But first, get clear on:
- Who you want to be.
- What is important and meaningful to you.
- What type of work you enjoy or feel passionate about.
With that information, you can choose an aligned job or career. And then you won’t labor…at work. (Use the same process to create congruence in your relationships, health, or other life arena.)
Imagine what would become possible if you started being the person you know you can and want to be and began doing the work that is most important and meaningful to you… How would that transform your job…and life?
The quality of your life would change dramatically, would it not? And work would no longer feel like labor, right?
Work as Sacred Duty
Are you ready to declare who you want to be and what you want to do—as your work or career?
And are you ready to start being a person who would have that job and do the things related to that position?
Are you ready to have your work life become easy, fulfilling, peaceful, and joyous?
Of course you are. This is the real work…sacred work…stepping into your power and freely choosing who to be and how to make your mark on the world. You are not here to simply earn a living or work hard for a small paycheck. You are here to do your life’s work…whatever that is…and contribute uniquely.
And suppose you don’t feel you have a calling or unique purpose to fulfill in this lifetime. In that case, you can still make your work more meaningful and fulfilling by seeing it as a sacred contribution. By changing how you think about what you do, what you do transforms.
So think about your work as a way to serve others or contribute even on a small scale. Consider it a way to express yourself and share your unique gifts. This turns your job into a sacred duty or spiritual practice.
It’s hard to feel as if your job is laborious when you see it that way, is it not?
So, stop laboring. Start performing your sacred duty, doing your life’s work, or engaging in work as a spiritual practice. Begin contributing and serving others as an essential part of your job.
If you don’t feel free to do that for any reason, like because of your mindset, habits, financial state, or fears about what people will think or how they will react if you do, you already know you need to develop a higher level of personal freedom. Join the Inspired Creator Community now, so you can learn to choose habits and mindsets that transform the laborious parts of your life. For the next six months, members will focus on developing higher levels of personal freedom.
Do you feel as if your job or career is labor? Tell me in a comment below. And please share this post with a friend or on social media.
And if you feel stuck and unable to stop laboring, let’s chat. Get on my calendar here. Or join the Inspired Creator Community for group personal and spiritual growth coaching every month. It’s in this community that real transformation happens…and you learn to live a life that feeds your soul.
It’s time to transform, is it not? Join the Inspired Creator Community. As a member, you will discover how to change from the inside out. Finally, be the person who does the things that allow you to create what you desire. Gain access to intuitive transformational coaching, world-class Certified High Performance Coaching, and strategies for living a life that feeds your soul. As you will discover, you are a powerful creator. It’s time to create what you want. Join now!Photo courtesy of Zelma Brezinska .
