Transform Chores You Hate Into Meaningful Work You Love
Monk Mindset for Living Well
Monk Mindset 3
Be More Human at Work: Work and Study
Reflection on the Monk Mindset & Quote
Everyone does the dirty work. I don’t care if you’re running a global enterprise with thousands of people and won the Nobel Peace Prize (like Mother Teresa) or if you're the most junior person on a team, we all need to do things we don’t like doing. This is just part of work.
The trick and growth opportunity is to first realize and accept that we need to do some dirty work. Then, secondly, to perform these tasks or projects with peace and serenity. And then, eventually, grow into performing them with joy and the gratitude that we have the opportunity to do these activities and thereby spare others from having to do them.
The more we can accept the reality that we all need to do the dirty work and learn to do it with a spirit of service, peace in our heart, and detachment, the happier we’ll be in our work, the less burnt out we’ll feel and the more we can help others.
Growing up, I was often spared doing chores. But when I entered the monastery, I had tons of chores every day -- from taking out the trash to cleaning dusty rooms to pulling weeds for hours in the hot sun.
Eventually I learned to not only do the chores but to actually enjoy them. After all, I would spend hours exercising every week -- so how great to have the opportunity to exercise while working, improve the house for others in the community AND do tasks so my brothers in the monastery didn’t have to!
Once I started seeing things this way it became a joy and a habit to do chores.
The cool thing is you can apply this approach to not just chores but also work projects or just about any type of activity.
Put It Into Practice This Week
Close your eyes and think of a task at home or work you either put off doing or hate.
Got it?
Now imagine the next time you’re faced with that activity, leaning into it.
Imagine yourself doing it with a smile on your face and that you are doing it for someone else so they can be spared that burden.
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