“If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
You know... I’m going to call bull shit on that.
Yep. I said it. I don’t buy that at all. This is not a bitter “I hate Mondays because I hate my life” rant, I promise. It’s more of a “you can love what you do and be passionate about your work and it’s impact, but still acknowledge and honor that your work is truly work” conversation. It is hard, it takes focus, it’s not always fun, but it is yours. It matters, it is important, and you deserve to create boundaries from it to support yourself personally and professionally.
I love my job. I do. Yes, I am only 3 years into my profession and in many ways I am still very bright and shiny and sometimes protected. However, in many ways this is actually my 6th year working in some capacity in my field. In my 3 years working full time a lot has been asked of me and I have been exposed to a great deal of challenge both of me and for the individuals whom it is my job to support.
I love almost every minute of my job, even the minutes...or hours or days when I feel completely worn down and nearly defeated. At least I know that when it’s tough it’s because we’re going out on a limb to provide the best support and guidance that we can. At the very least...I know that it’s something I can learn from. As much as I love my job and can constantly see how my work is supporting and better the experiences of others...I cannot deny for a second that it is work. And hard work. Even when it is fun it is work. And that is ok.
It has been a really hard week. A really hard week. I have helped students through the kind of crisis that I honestly don’t even think that I could handle with grace, understanding, or bravery myself. I have seen fears and statistics come to fruition. I have played roles in strategic setups, interventions, and missions of safe relocation and removal. Not to mention fire drills of every residence hall on campus. I have done hard work. Hard work that I wish I didn’t have to do. I have bruises on my knuckles for knocking on nearly every door on campus. (I really should get a gavel or something.) I was grateful and proud to be the one there to do it, but I wish it never even had to be done. (Well, not the fire drills, fire does just happen sometimes.) This week was hard work. But it only makes me love my job more.
Loving your work and feeling like your work is work are not mutually exclusive. Not every task in your job needs to feel effortless and enjoyable in order for your work to be loved and feel important to you, your interests, and your values.
And yes, Mondays aren’t always my favorite either. But that’s because there is a big difference between long-run-and-brunch Sundays and going-into-the-office-and-looking-at-my-sea-of-emails Mondays...and that’s allowed to not feel super exciting. My Monday afternoon staff meeting is usually something to look forward to though...and that sometimes just clearly isn’t work. ;)
