Friday Routine is my weekly ritual of driving to Starbucks, ordering
a skinny mocha grande, and writing a blog post. Why do I do this? I don't have
thousands of readers. I don't have a Facebook page so I must not have any
"likes." And yet, every Friday I show up to the page and work to meet
my goal of posting two articles each month.
Similarly, Bill, a retired music teacher is committed to directing
a community band. In this volunteer role he is free to direct, compose, and improvise
music as he wishes—and he does it with excellence. When my husband Dave said,
"Bill puts so much effort into directing the band" I responded,
"It's the work he needs to do." Dave and the other band members benefit from Bill's work, but
that's not why he does it. Bill puts so much effort into the director's role because it
makes him happy.
I'm the same way. I do the work when no one is looking, when
it seems like no one is watching, reading, or is interested. I do the work for
me. I do the work because it makes me happy.
Author Elizabeth Gilbert understands this concept. In her
book, Big Magic, Gilbert says,
"I did not write this book for you; I wrote it for me. I wrote this book
for my own pleasure, because I truly enjoy thinking about the subject of
creativity. It's enjoyable and useful for me to meditate on this topic."
My heart sinks when a friend talks about wanting to write a
book but she's hung up on the dismal chance that a publisher will be interested
in her work. Hence, she hasn't started writing. She's missing out on the joy
and satisfaction of doing what she loves to do. She needs
to learn that in retirement you do the work for yourself. You do the work
because it makes YOU happy.
Instead of waiting for the big phone call to start your
work, Gilbert says to "follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and
compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart. The
rest of it will take care of itself." There is no better time to do this
than in our retirement years.
So, what causes a revolution in your heart? Now get started
on creating this work—
the work YOU need to do for YOU.
Copyright 2016 Patrice Jenkins. All Rights Reserved.
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