When Joys Start to Feel Like Jobs

I'm really tired.

You know that feeling you get when you just don't want to do anything? That feeling that that makes you feel useless, uncreative and flat out lazy? Well, that's me lately, and let me tell  you; it's a struggle. 

I don't want to work.
I don't want to be intentional with people.
And I definitely don't want to write.

It's not really a sleepy tired; it's more of a mindless tiredness that makes me feel all used up. It's like I need a burst of something new and a refresher, but I'm just not sure what of.

Lately, life feels like it's just been wearing on me. I'm having a hard time finding the motivation and creative sparks I need to do what I love to do both at work and in my free time. This is extremely frustrating because, at times, it takes away the joy I have from creating the things I love to create: community and writing. These things feel more like jobs lately, rather than joys.

When joys start to feel like jobs, it might be a symbol of tiredness. Joys should be just that, joyful. Granted, not every day is going to be easy and not everything you love is always going to come without any effort, but sometimes life just begins to wear on you and the things that should be making you happy just seem to become something you 'have to do.' (Yes, I'm subliminally speaking of blogging right now, which is my example).

I'm not sure, but I believe that just like being tired and overly sleepy isn't healthy, neither is being creatively tired and sleepy. Lately, that's how I've felt. I've felt like I'm on my last drops of creativity, and I'm in need of a refill.

So, I'm asking for one. If anyone has any creativity overflowing from them and wants to lend some my way or help me refill my own, I'm bone dry and I'd love you're help. My joys have started to feel like jobs.

Thanks in advance.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Don't overflow so much that you forget to get refilled. 

Job Jealousy

There are a lot of really cool things in this world, and there are a lot of really cool people who get to do really cool things.

There are professional athletes getting to play sports for a living, nature photographers traveling the world taking pictures of some of the most beautiful places on earth, and there are even people flying in rockets above earth, orbiting beyond us all. There's a lot of really cool jobs out there, and because there are so many 'really cool' jobs out there, it makes it hard to be satisfied with your own job sometimes. 

It's easy to look at someone who snowboards down mountains in Alaska for Red Bull promotions and be jealous of their job. It's harder to look at the person who just took my order at McDonald's and be jealous of their's. Some jobs are just sexier, and sadly, the jobs that seem sexiest, aren't always the most important.

Important jobs are unattractive to most people. Being a garbage man, a construction worker or a fast food employee aren't always the most glamorous to those on the outside, but they are certainly important and necessary. These aren't sexy jobs, but they are jobs that, without them, would prevent society from being as great as it is. These jobs don't always sound great, but they're jobs that I'm greatful exist. 

I've struggled with job jealousy. It's always easy to think someone has it better off than you do in some other position, in some other company, in some other place. I've learned though that job jealousy is often a lie. No matter what role you're in or where you're at, your job is important, and more so, you're important. Wherever you are and in whatever you're doing, be all there, and think of all the reasons why people are better off because of the job you're doing. Don't be jealous of another's job; be joyful in your own, and do it like a champion today.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Work with joy in whatever and wherever you work, and that joy will spread to those you work with.