Love labor loss

MANILA, Philippines - I have an old friend who spent the better part of her mid-twenties working like a dog and putting all her money away in the bank; she did not play at all, she just worked. When she reached her thirties, she sat down with her accountant and made a financial scheme so that she didn’t have to work ever again and just live off the interest.

It was great. Imagine a 30-year-old who didn’t have to work and never had to worry about money. It’s the ideal, isn’t it?

Then she went off to find love and found herself the most boring person in the world. Without a job, without having to really do anything, she had nothing to talk about. She no longer interacted with the world, and the world had no use for her. She had stopped growing as a person and had nothing to contribute to any conversation.

A year and a half ago, I found myself taken out of the workforce and sent to Bacolod for the benefit of my own health. I had to get stronger. Bereft of a daily task, my only focus was to get better. The first two months were horrible. I had nothing to talk about except the books that I read and the movies and television shows that I was watching. And if you haven’t seen the same thing or read the same thing, it’s kind of a one-way conversation. No fun at all.

Just because you are in between work or in the good fortune of not having to do any work doesn’t mean you give up on improving yourself and do nothing. You have to keep yourself busy and you have to engage with the world, if you are going to be of any worth to it.

So you don’t have to labor, it does not have to be a loss. The trick? It’s about what you love. Here’s a quick list of how to keep yourself busy, productive, and growing even if you don’t have to.

This is where your hobbies, your interests, and your passions come in. And if you don’t have any, it’s time to start exploring and get one. This will keep you interesting and help you interact with the world.

First things first: what are your passions? What are your hobbies? What interests you? If you don’t have any or if you don’t know then it is time to start exploring the alternatives and get one. This is the first and foremost in keeping yourself interesting.

Blogging is the easiest way to stay connected. Blog about your interests and your passion and people of like minds will eventually find you and communicate with you. You too, can find people with similar interests and communicate with them, all of which makes you better at what you love.

Join a group. There are enthusiasts of all kinds and they like to form little communities who meet regularly. Exchange experiences, knowledge, items, and just enjoy the camaraderie of being around people with the same goals and ambitions. This works really well with sports and materials things – bikes, cars, gadgets, etc.

Advocacies and charities. Rotary clubs, NGOs, and civic groups have meetings and activities all the time. It’s good to spend a day or two every week giving something back to your community. You end up meeting a lot of people and you add a sense of fulfillment to your life.

Don’t let go of your social life. Meet up with friends and don’t fall out of the system. If you aren’t working, you probably have less things to complain about. Listen and be supportive. Learn and then adjust. Having time on your hands, you probably will have more time finding good books, television shows, music, or films that your super busy friends have missed out on. That can be your niche too. Remember, the point is to share and to make their lives bigger. Don’t gloat and be all pompous about it.

Start a collection. You’d be surprised how much interaction you do when you really get into a collection. After a while, it’s not just a shopping expedition but you start interacting with bloggers and shop owners who have access to those hard-to-find stuff and you can really get involved with the little niche of people who are so into the same things you are into. Every collection is also a story to share. That will help keep you interesting at some level.

Experiment. Do things you haven’t done before and you will find yourself more interesting than you’ve ever been.

All forms of work whether it’s menial or executive in nature give you opportunities to interact with the world and help you grow as a person. If you find yourself unable to do such, it’s your job to do it for yourself. Keep yourself involved with the world and you will find many chances and opportunities to grow.

When you discover yourself complaining about the lack of time in the day and complaining about the effort it takes to finish your goals, then you know for a fact that you are growing and you are a complete and full person.

Nothing has no value to anyone. You don’t ever want to catch yourself saying you are doing nothing. Not ever.