Work is not a "Four Letter Word"

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Work happens every day whether we realize it or not. When you get out of bed in the morning and walk to the shower, you’ve done work. When you make your cup of coffee and breakfast, you’ve done work. When you sit down and check social media accounts or the news, you’ve done work. The Encyclopedia Britannica gives the technical definition of work as the “measure of energy transfer that occurs when an object is moved over a distance by an external force at least part of which is applied in the direction of the displacement.” To calculate this measurement, physicists use the formula: Work = Force x Displacement. If we apply this to the everyday world (and move out of the realm of science), we can create a practical definition that work is produced when someone puts forth effort to achieve a goal.

From Physics to real life

If we filter our opinions about work through that definition, why do so many people think of work as a bad thing? Most people view work as a necessary evil to meet their basic human needs. But when we consider that it is just a measurement that stems from the effort required to produce a goal, then work isn’t negative at all. It is a natural byproduct of two good things (effort and goals) working together.

A needed Shift

Our need in this present culture is to change the way we look at work. The current, common mindset of work as a necessary evil leads to frustration, discontentment, and poor results. It helps no one; neither the worker nor their company. But when we change that mindset to believe that work is a good thing, people get a sense of fulfillment, purpose, ownership, and significance. A company that looks for people with this mindset will get (with some investment into the individual) loyalty, positivity, and productivity. This mindset shift benefits everyone.

Photo by Steven Wright on Unsplash