Part time Wisdom

Allow me to begin by saying that I enjoy my full time job very, very much. It can be mindbogglingly stressful on occasion, but that's part of my industry and the path I chose.

In the spring, I also took a part time job with the Statistics Canada, to work on the census, for a few reasons. One, it sounded interesting; two, it seemed like a good way to pay for our vacation; and three, it was only for four months. It ended up being a very satisfying experience, although I certainly had my share of discouraging evenings. Apparently not everyone is thrilled to hear from the government, and they aren't shy about telling you.

The census project ended in July, and I went on my merry way. Then last month, they called me to see if I wanted to work on a new, three month project, and I jumped at the chance. This project seemed even more interesting, and the pay was even better than it had been the first time. (Let's just say that, as far as part time jobs go, it's sweeeeeeet.) For the past few weeks, I have been contacting Canadians and asking them to participate in our survey, much the same way I called people during the census.

That's the preamble. Here's the point.

I have learned two important things about human nature through all this. First and foremost, I have learned that people react VERY diffrently when the government asks them to do something (like now), and when the government tells they must do something. (Census is legally mandatory in Canada, I assume this is also the case in other countries.) Don't get me wrong, I spoke to lovely, lovely people during the census....but I also took a hell of a lot of abuse. On this project, which is completely voluntary, it's like people are falling over themselves for the chance to participate. I can't believe how many people have said, "Ooooo, I was hoping you'd call!!"

Got that? Asking people, reaction good. Telling people, reaction not so good. I'm pretty sure we can all find a way to incorporate that in to our daily lives. I know, I know, it sounds incredibly basic, but let me ask you this: the last time you wanted your kid to make his bed, did you ask him or tell him? What would have happened if you had tried it the other way?

The other thing I found out is how much work satisfaction truly affects your level of fatigue. Again, I had some really good nights during the census, but I had some total stinkers, too. (and even during the good nights, you'd get at least one bad call). I would get home at 10 pm, tired to the bone. At the time, I chalked up this exhaustion to the fact that, between my full time job and then tearing over to the part time one, I was working from 8:30 am to 10:00pm.

Now, I am working from 8:00 am to midnight, sixteen hours, and I'm not tired. I love, love, love what I am doing and I have nothing but a thirst to go back tomorrow and do it all again.

How can you bring this lesson in to your life? Ask yourself how you feel at the end of your day. Are you happy and looking forward to tomorrow, or are you exhausted and numb? Believe me, being tired actually doesn't have much to do with how many hours you put in, as long as you are passionate about it.

Think about that.

Ok, none of this has been written very well, or with descriptive passages, symbolism, or well turned phrases. But sometimes you just have to put on the page what comes in to your heart.

Hey look, there's lesson number three.