Labor in Love

Brenda Griffin  Get A Job Expert

Love what you do.  Do what you love. ~ Dr. Wayne Dyer

     Three men with much to offer, each going the extra mile to be of service doing what they love.  It's one thing to say people are of service, another to see it in action!  Last weekend, I had a front row seat with John Gray, Brendon Burchard, and Tony Robbins.

     A look of genuine disappointment came upon John Gray's face, "I'm disappointed you'll miss my lecture.  It's a one-of-a-kind talk.  I prepared it just for this event." Coming from one of my favorite authors, I felt terrible.  I'm a fan of all things Venus and Mars. He was bummed. So was I.

     I was rushing to the airport when his assistant, Katie, introduced us in the lobby. John had flown in from Australia the day before. Can you imagine the jet lag? I had no idea he would be the last speaker on the seminar agenda or that I would be missing his talk, given my flight time. He had no idea so many of us east coasters would be leaving early to catch our flights! (Good news - we'll be getting the MP3.)

     Earlier that morning, a man collapsed having a seizure.  The seminar leader, Brendon Burchard, author of Life's Golden Ticket, steadied the audience.  He asked us to take our seats, close our eyes, and focus our thoughts positively while the ambulance was called. 

     As the man was being attended, Brendon spoke softly of how fragile life can be with all of its twists and turns.  "You just never know."  The situation hit close to home; Brendon's father is in the hospital facing an aggressive form of Leukemia.

     We all had much to be grateful for that day. I know I did. In fact, I sent out e-mails to several expressing my appreciation that morning.  It was hard to find a dry eye.

     At dinner that previous night, I thanked Brendon for the great job he and his staff were doing.  Seminars take a lot of energy under normal circumstances.  He had much more on his plate this time. I could relate with having to "go on with the show," since my father was diagnosed with Leukemia when I was in college. How many of you can relate to "pressing on" with challenging circumstances, too?

     Then there was Tony Robbins staying up half the night preparing his one-of-a-kind talk.  His prep time was three times the length of his actual lecture!  He's the kind of guy who can just stand up and wing it, given all his speaking experience. But, he didn't.  He prepared.  In fact, he got so fired up during his presentation that he nearly missed his flight to his next event.  Why?  He had so much he wanted to pour into us. He wanted to make sure his message was right and targeted our core need.

     I learned much from these three:  Do the best you can do.  Be the best you can be. Over prepare.  Over deliver. Put in the effort. Make quality a priority.  Learn. Continuously improve. Look for ways to delight and surprise.  Go with the flow. Trust.  Think.  Tackle challenges. Give people what they need in ways they want. Do it for them.  Sacrifice, when necessary.  Know that your works matters and makes a difference.  Make it a labor of love. Overall - work from a place of service.

     Being of service isn't limited to the actual work you do. It's about the way you approach your work. Your attitude.  Your motivation. Is your work just for you?  Or is it for others, too? 

     It's easiest to be of service when you do work you love.  As I say in Day 2 of Get A Job Tools, "When you do work you love, it doesn't feel like work. It feels like life!"

     When work feels like life, being of service comes naturally. It brings delight to you and those around you.  You naturally want to share.  It also adds to your feeling of significance in a busy world.  Life can be stressful and things happen beyond our control.  Obstacles seem easier to face when you labor in love doing what you love.

     Who is impacted by your work?  Who is your end user?  We all have "customers."  Who are your customers, both internal and external?  How can you best be of service on the job to them?  Sometimes, it the not the big stuff, it's the small stuff that makes a huge difference.

     This very day, you can be of service and feel great about doing it.  You can make your day a labor of love.