29 January 2010
Diligence??
Today I was supposed to be in Wellington for meetings, but I never made it because the flight was cancelled. A thick sea fog had rolled into Wellington unexpectedly and had closed the airport. The time spent travelling to and from the airport would have been a complete waste of time, had I not been reading ‘The Happiness Project’ while waiting for my plane to take off. The book is chock full of thought provoking nuggets, and the one that was particularly relevant this morning, was: ‘People who love their work bring an intensity and enthusiasm that’s impossible to match through sheer diligence’ (p71)
Wow, I could identify with that. I work with colleagues who love what they do. They talk about work, they read about work and they spend time away from the office working on work. But I do not and I often feel as if I’m falling short. I try to be professional and do the job I’m paid to do but at times I struggle because I lack an emotional connection to it. This morning as I waited for our plane to be given the all-clear to take off, I suddenly realised that I have tried to be diligent to make up for my deficit in passion. But diligence is not a successful strategy because it does not feed the soul.
One reason I have started this blog is because I know it is time to explore what does feed my soul, and to share this journey with others who ay be in a similar position.
Diligence of itself is not wrong, only where we employ it as a substitute for passion.
Today’s question: Where are those spaces in my life where I have allowed diligence to displace passion and vision? Where have I become a hired pen instead of an author?
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