| An old man is peacefully sitting and fishing. After a little while he stops fishing and starts packing up his fishing tackle even though the fish that are being hooked are endless. A young man who has been watching this scene is wondering why the old man has stopped fishing even though he¡¯s getting large fish. At last he asks the old man the reason why he has stopped fishing. The old man replies that he¡¯s got enough fish already. The young man says that it would be better if he made a lot of money with more fish. In response to this opinion, the old man asks him what he is planning to do after making a lot of money. The young man answers that, with a lot of money, he would enjoy fishing more frequently without worrying about his livelihood. To this, the old man says, ¡°I¡¯ve already been enjoying fishing.¡± Using this fable, I would like to invite you to think about how we see our jobs. Almost all of us want to work, strive to get a job and move up the ladder if possible, but often we seem not to think about why we really want these things, what we are pursuing eventually, what consequences we can anticipate, etc. Most of us want to be the fast trackers, but they seem so preoccupied with getting ahead that they don't always notice the implications of what they do. Sometimes this situation is like putting the cart before the horse, because I think that the first thing we need to get from working has to be a sense of satisfaction in the work itself. Of course, it is important to have a practical goal and make a lot of money in doing something. However, it is more important to enjoy whatever you are doing like the old man does. Let¡¯s take a moment and ask ourselves, ¡°Am I enjoying my job?¡± There is a wide difference between a job we enjoy doing and a job we are forced to do. The difference will be handed on to my colleagues as well as directly and indirectly to our customers, and will finally come back to us like a boomerang. Well, which one would you choose; a job you enjoy doing or a job you are forced to do? |