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What energizes You?
We have all experienced some activity
which is hard work and yet it seems to energize us!
How can we find work that energizes rather than depletes our energy?
Here are two ideas which help:
1. The Seesaw
2. McReynolds' Idea of FUN!
The Seesaw
Honoring the equipment needs of the visually impaired, we tax your
imagination by presenting without diagrams!
Picture a long seesaw:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>On
the right we have a person called "PLAY"
"DRUDGERY!"is on the left<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Some say that WORK is a balance of Play and Drudgery. This would
have our two on the horizontal seesaw. Neither one is higher than
the other. Many experience their work as high on Drudgery with little
sense of fun or Play. Yet, some people remark that they experience
their job is Play or Fun! What's the difference?
The seesaw is an apt image. With the seesaw
we can not be high on both Play or Drudgery. Also, sometimes
our experience of the same task can change and we can even experience
a mixture. For an expanded look at this mixture
see "Why can some people never be satisfied?"
Suppose we see someone WORKING in their back garden. As we watch
them work, we can't really tell if the task is a Drudge or the are
Playing. If we ask about their experience, we note they see their
work as high on Self-control or high on Social-control. If we explore
people who "play at their work," they feel they are in
total control of their actions and they "answer
to no-one!" If we explore someone experiencing high
on drudgery, we note they feel controlled by their environment or
society is dictating their actions; they "have-to
do this work."
The implication is that we may make a choice in our work to take
on a greater sense of responsibility (sort of like being self-employed,
even though we may be working for a boss). We may just go along,
doing as we are told and have no real connection with our work.
Otherwise, we may take a great interest in the quality of our expression.
We may see each moment we are at work depends on the "decision
to participate." If we choose to take charge of our actions,
we can play at something that was a drudge in the past. Even doing
mundane tasks such as washing the dishes can be made fascinating
as we ask ourselves: "Could we do it a better way?"
Dr. Viktor Frankl discovered, while in a concentration camp, that
even in a dire circumstance, when all choice seems to be taken from
us, we are free to choose our attitude. In his book, MAN'S SEARCH
FOR MEANING, Frankl stated: "The meaning of life is derived
from taking responsibility for the challenges set before us!"
This TAKING of responsibility implies we have a choice to TAKE!
We can also see that the word "responsibility" is really
our ABILITY to RESPOND to the challenges. We might ask: "Are
you free to play the piano?" Only if you have taken the ability
to respond to the piano and a lot of practice. So, we might say:
Responsibility is the doorway to Freedom! Next let's ask how we
can enhance this matter of choice in our work.
In taking charge of our tasks, often we awaken a desire to learn.
This depends on What's Interesting? The answer to "what's interesting"
is tied to McReynolds incentives to learn or Fun!
FUN!
Why learn anything?
We are attracted to food, body comfort, sex or just associating
with other people. We are repelled by pain or discomfort
of any sort. Thus we are eager to learn about increasing pleasure
and reducing discomfort. Money is simply a promise of desirable
attraction and avoidance! But the news is still out when we
have more money than we can use. Nevertheless, numbers and
Status have symbolic value.
FUN! Aside from the above apparently practical reasons for learning,
three internal incentives come into play.
***** (These ideas come from a researcher named Paul McReynolds)
First, we are constantly seeking to make changes in our ideas or
"mindsets." But, we need them to change as our favorite
speed: Not too fast or too slow. We experience Fun when pull
this off! In playing games, we put a lot of effort into "unproductive"
work.
Secondly, we like dealing with new info which comes into our head.
Yet, ideas which don't fit with our current mindset are alarming.
It can be fun to bring unlikely ideas together. Some jokes
are based on this. So, we work very hard to adapt the new
info. But, if it gets "too hard," we dump these
ideas. Unfortunately, we can reject the source of ideas as
well.
Finally, we are unwittingly urged to complete plans we set up for
ourselves. It seems, we have a gyroscope which aims our activities
in this direction.
This too can produce a fun experience as we seem to accidentally
come upon info or people important to our "sense of direction.
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