Do What You Must

Do what you must, so you can do what you must! This thought occurred to me today, as I sat baffled by the shear number of tasks on my plate.  Writing projects, music to write, students to teach, practice to be do. I couldn't get started though, the thing that most needed to be done was the thing I least wanted to do.  It was a job, a job I saw as a block from the things that were more in tune with what my soul urged me to do, and that really bothered me.

Now I define job as something that puts food on my table.  Work gets done once the job is done, once I know I’ll be fed I can get to the business of being creative.  Being creative is my love and I define it as my work.

I think like most people I can become fixated on a task. Today’s fixation was how much I didn't want to do this job.  “I’m too excited about my work to focus on some job!”  I wouldn't allow myself to do the work until I had completed the job.  Then the words of a very wise man, my Father, came to me: “Do what you have to do first, then you can play all you want.”  I used to always take this as, “Get your damn homework done, THEN you can play video games,” in fact he may have said those exact words at some point! Today though, I learned a different lesson from them.

I had to ask myself: Is this job furthering my work in any way?  The answer was a resounding yes, it’s putting food on my table!  So I got off my ass, and got to work on the job.  You know what happened? The act of doing freed me. Once I was satisfied with the job, my work began to flow easily. In doing what I must (job) to meet my body’s needs (food, shelter, etc) I was able to do what I must (work) which is my life’s work of creation.

If the job doesn't further your work, drop it! I’m not saying everyone quit your jobs and move to an artist commune, or wherever you feel your life’s work would best be done, just remember the purpose of the job.  Don’t let your job define you, let your work define you!