I had trouble with Xfinity and had to call in a support fellow to my home. The whole time while he was working his phone kept ringing. He said, “Oh, I am tired of hearing that.” I asked if it was his company calling him. He said yes. Then I asked him if he liked his job. He answered was yes, “Otherwise, I would not have done this for 16 years. ” This response begged my question for what in particular he liked his job. He said jokingly that it was the part he got to go home at six. Then in all seriousness, he said, it was the customers, the appreciation he got from fixing things for them.
That got me to think the best part of my job. There are many things I like being an entrepreneur and a small company CEO: I get to build something meaningful, sustainable through a connected group; I get to be creative in problem solving working with challenges I face; I get to work with staff members to understand their life and their aspirations, and to steer them to that direction when I can; and I certainly love it when customer appreciate our people and our work. But what’s the best part? For me it has to be the anticipation, the same anticipation leading Winnie-the-Pooh to the moment of tasting the honey.
It’s that anticipation. Detached anticipation, I must say, is the best part. The anticipation is knowing everyday I am working on something towards a worthy goal; the detached anticipation is that I concentrate on what needs done that day. The journey can be long but it makes the reward matter that much more. Instant reward is nice, but we tend not to treasure what we get easily.
In my experience, if we are truly fulfilled or happy in our every day, we don’t need to be fulfilled or happy “if only” we “get there.” Though many of us still want to “get there.” Me too. The reminder to us all is not to wait for that day to come. Make today count. Make most days count. Then at the end of 2016, we will have had a good year. Start living everyday by being truly “turned on” by life and by living our deep aspirations. I am not sure I am still talking about the best part of my job, I think I am talking about the best part of being human.