Why we do what we do.....

Today, I find myself some 30 years into my career and I’m still wondering when the work begins… because I absolutely love what I do. To tell you what I do would take another article, so I’ll leave it at I’m an enterprise consultant working in the information technology space.  

Working in IT has been rewarding for many reasons. By nature, I’ve always been intrigued by what makes something work; which is to say, I love to understand things and solve problems. I find getting to the heart of a problem both challenging and rewarding. Solving a technical problem brings with it a significant sense of achievement. When I look back on my career, and my life in general, I can see a common thread. I see I receive a sense of fulfillment from accomplishing a goal through problem-solving, but there’s also a much greater and even more rewarding commonality. Throughout my life, when I really think about it, I’ve been fulfilled because I’ve been in the privileged position to be in the service of others.  

What we do for a living is very important because it's what we choose to do to sustain ourselves. That said, I’m very fortunate that my abilities with technology are something of a gift since they seem to come easily and naturally to me. The thing of it is however, I truly feel that I’ve received so much more than I’ve ever given or provided. 

Of course, we must work for a living, but when I think about it, serving people has brought the greatest level of satisfaction. I don’t do what I do solely because I love it and find it challenging. I do it because I get to serve others, to make an impact and to influence change for the better. I can honestly say I am grateful that in my work and day to day, I have the opportunity to help people solve a problem or make a change which improves their quality of life. When you consider your job, your career and even your life, when viewed through this lens, life is incredibly rewarding.

Taking the time to really listen to someone’s challenge or goal, consider it from their perspective, and then develop a way to help them achieve positive change is something I’ll never tire of. If we keep this in mind when we choose our career path, our attitude on how we will approach our job or even our day, we and those we encounter and are privileged to serve will be much better for it.

Make no mistake, the opportunity to serve is a privilege. In order to serve someone, you must first be trusted. From flipping burgers to writing contracts, we enter into a trust relationship. Those you serve must first believe that you’re there to serve their best interests and well-being. As a consultant, my character and integrity have always been without question, but when I meet someone for the first time, they need they need to believe I’m worthy of their trust. That’s why service is a privilege. We must be chosen and to be chosen, we must be viewed as trustworthy and that’s high praise indeed. From there, it’s your character, integrity, and passion that will take you the rest of the way toward helping someone achieve a goal or change.  

If each of us took time to reflect on our day and consider our work as an opportunity to serve, rather than a task or a means to an end, everyone would be better for it. 

To all those I have been privileged to serve throughout my career and my life, I thank you!