Look around!
This morning I went out for a walk in the woods, as I often do. It has been a lovely day today. The birds were singing and the woods are lush and green. There were plenty of squirrels, babies and adults, going about their business. There were thrushes and spectacularly smart, colourful jays.
A woman came walking the other way, with her dog. She was oblivious to her surroundings. She had her earphones plugged in, listening to her music. She stared straight ahead. She did not look at her dog. She did not look at me. She did not see the wood or the trees or the wildlife, and certainly she did not hear it.
We do not have a dog now, but I was brought up in a house in which we always had dogs. The reason to have a dog is for the companionship and for the pleasure of taking it out for a walk. I know this.
Yet to this person, walking her dog was clearly boring; a chore. She took no pleasure in exercising the animal which probably thinks much more of her than she of it. What is the point of her having a dog?
I wonder about people who see running their businesses as a chore. If they are getting no pleasure from it, what is the point of allowing it to occupy their lives?
You might say that the point is that they need the money. My point is that if running the business is such a chore, they cannot be doing it right.
Are they working all hours? They need to cut down.
Could they be more efficient in delivery, thereby cutting the hours worked, cutting the cost of delivery and increasing their profits that way? They have to consider whether they are not charging enough for their product or service, or maybe it is the wrong product or service.
Perhaps they should change what they provide. Perhaps they should change everything because it is no good living a life of drudgery. It is no good seeing work as just a chore.
