FOR SOME people, Work means job.
And therefore, most people work hard on their jobs for the Money.
Because they think that money can buy them Love.
Or Sex.
Or Good Health.
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I’m retired.
Actually, I retired myself from Nursing at 45.
Which is to say, I’m currently unemployed.
I am not anybody’s slave.
I have no boss.
I answer to no one, but myself.
I am my own boss.
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But I have Work.
I am a writer.
I am a life coach to many of my friends.
I am an inspiration to many, but especially for my fan readers.
My line of work as a writer, influencer, and inspiration, does not give me an income.
(Not yet anyway. Although I plan to monetize it soon.)
But it is Work, with a capital W.
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And I like working on inspiring other people, and sharing my thoughts and philosophies, even if these endeavors do not bring me money for now, because these works, like a Christian ministry, make my life meaningful.
And for me, between money and meaningfulness, it’s a purpose-driven life that is more important, and more satisfying.
I repeat: I do not work for the money.
But I have meaningful work.
And a real purpose in life.
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Everybody should have some kind of work, whether the work brings them money, or not.
Work gives us a reason to wake up in the morning, and deal with whatever Life throws at us.
If people do not have work, they wouldn’t feel complete.
I know wealthy people who feel empty inside because they don’t work.
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I also know rich people who are still slave to work.
Mostly because the more they work, the more they get more money.
I do not like these people.
As much as I know of them, they’re not really happy.
It is not uncommon that these people say I have a better, if not enviable, life.
If they are lying to their teeth, that’s their problem.
If they honestly envy me, I think I know the reason why.
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Because work should make us meaningful, but must not enslave us.
We must be thankful for the work that we have.
And we must understand that not all of us are meant to work in an office.
Some of us are really meant to tend the farms.
Plant the crops, and raise the animals.
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Some people are lucky to find the work that they love.
Many aren’t so lucky.
In the Philippines, many of us are overqualified for the work that we have.
But that’s because the unemployment rate is very high.
And recognizing that, we must again be grateful that we have some kind of work, however lowly.
Especially if such work gives us our daily bread.
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I’ve been unlucky in the sense that I haven’t found a job that I really love, which, at the same time, gives me a lot of money for compensation.
I think that I’ve not really been perfectly matched to a job that I love.
It’s an open secret that I went to Nursing in the USA after a desperation for a job that pays in the Philippines.
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And while I was a very good nurse (and award-winning at that), my greatest works are really in literature, and in the arts.
Admittedly, I haven’t really gotten much money from my writing.
As a creative writer, I have won several big prizes, and grant money, especially in the late 90’s and the first decade of the new millennium.
But I don’t think I’ve gotten more than P3 million gross from my writing since 1990.
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I’ve crossed the P2 million mark sometime ago.
But the climb to P3 million is rather very slow.
And that P2 million-something has been given back to the community via The Peter Solis Nery Foundation for Hiligaynon Literature and the Arts, Inc.
Still, I consider what charity I do with my Foundation as work.
Thus, I am very proud of what I, and my Foundation, do.
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My fourth gift to you this Christmas (after Sex, Good Health, and Money) is Work.
If you already have a job, my gift means an appreciation of your job.
And making sure that you understand that you are not what you do.
If you don’t have a job, my gift means the courage and humility to look for a job, and to take whatever job is available for you.
And also understanding that you are not what you do.
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You are not your job.
So do not be a slave to it.
It takes only two weeks, at the most, to replace you in your job position, whatever that is.
If you work to death for your current job, it’s useless.
Your bosses will just hire a new employee after you are dead.
Trust me, the world will continue to revolve around the sun even if you call in sick, or take a leave of absence.
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When you have a job, learn to love it.
Do not be overly critical of things.
Go with the flow.
I mean, avoid graft and corruption by all means, but do not try to change the system unless you are ready to wage a battle from within.
Do not overwork yourself.
Don’t work too hard.
Put things in perspective.
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I mean, I still can’t understand why teachers break their backs when the pay they receive isn’t really much.
I mean, when they feel overwork, they end up punishing the students.
I know some teachers who overwork their students just to get back for being overworked by their school heads, the DepEd, or the CHED.
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When teachers demand the students’ full attention and participation, some teachers think that they are god.
I just think that that is wrong.
I feel that the modern teacher should simply work as guides, and moderators.
Now, if the teacher’s salary is P1 million pesos, I would expect them to do some magic, and turn every student into a genius.
But until then, they should just chill and understand what is expected of them as teachers of the third millennium.
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Here’s a quickie: If you don’t have a job, but you need an income, plant camote.
Sell banana cue.
No, I’m serious.
There should be no shame in that! (500tinaga@gmail.com/PN)
