I used to always read novels on airplanes. I travel regularly for business, and at one time, I would habitually consume lots of fiction to absorb time on airplanes and in hotel rooms. I guess my thinking was, “I spend all day thinking about business; I deserve a break.” But I have to say that as I’ve matured in my professional practice, as I’ve become aware of the process, I now find that I almost always read work-related non-fiction during that time. I’m eager to know more and more about behavioral change, about habit loops, about brain science. You name it; I soak it all up. And guess what – I have tons more fun in what I do to earn a living than ever before.
Every part of life is like that. As with any growth, the development of insight, knowledge and experience matters. It matters a lot! Think about the most important “process” on the planet … parenting. I have three daughters, eight years apart from youngest to oldest. Do you think I behaved any differently as a father from the first daughter to the second? From the first to the third? You bet I did. Shame on me if I hadn’t learned and grown … and the more you know, the more you enjoy. When it came my youngest daughter’s turn to bang up one of my vehicles (they all had their turn), I went out to the driveway to look at it. My only comment was, “It’s fine, nobody got hurt.” My eldest witnessed this and asked, “Who are you, and what have you done with my father?” We learn different “moves” over time. We learn what works and when to use the moves, at work and at home, and it makes us more effective – and more at ease.
The more you know, the more you enjoy whatever it is you apply yourself to. And would you like a bonus truth here? My eldest daughter’s mentor, Todd Durkin, has a saying: “If you don’t like it, it’s because you need it.” He is an internationally known fitness expert and coach, and he’s referring to specific exercises. If you don’t like pushups, it might be that you have some weaknesses in certain muscles of the shoulder … and that you do in fact need pushups!
This is true of all things we delude ourselves into thinking we don’t deserve to be burdened with.
Let’s do something different:
- Buy a professional book and read it. Develop a new skill relevant to your current job – or your next one.
- Reach out within your organization to discover the professional development classes available to you. Take one within the next 120 days.
If you don’t like it, it’s probably because you need it – and the more you know, the more you enjoy! Do something different now.
