March 25, 2010

have to vs HAVE TO

As I've been reading Seth Godin's Linchpin, I've been blown away by some of the insights that Seth brings out. On of the concepts that is central to the book is the idea of "the work", namely the indispensable part of what you & I do in our jobs or ministries. "The work" actually makes up a small part of what we actually do everyday, but it's the stuff that can make us vital. A thought came to mind as I was reading:

There's work that we have to do & then there's the work we HAVE to do.

What I mean by that is that whether you're a student, an accountant, a teacher, or a pastor, there are things that you "have" to do; it's required; it's in your job description. However, at the same time there is the part of your work that you HAVE to do. It's that part of what you do that makes you come alive; it's the part of your work that sets you apart from everyone else in the classroom or office. If you don't do it, you don't feel like yourself; you don't feel like you've brought everything you could to the table. In short, you feel incomplete. The tension is leaning into the stuff that we have to do so that we can do the work that we HAVE to do. Usually the stuff that we feel is mindless & pointless only serves to put us in a place where we can do that part of our work that is unique & potentially game changing.

What are the "have to's" that you struggle with doing? What are the "HAVE TO'S" that make you come alive, that set you apart from those around you? How do you manage to push through the "have to's" in order to do the "HAVE TO'S"?

No comments: