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A Matter of Health

Enjoying what you do

by Ruth SoRelle, MPH

Do a computer search on a research database and you will find that job dissatisfaction is rampant and worldwide. It’s being studied in China, Africa, Latin America, the United States and Europe. Doctors, nurses, secretaries and chief executive officers are burning out and seeking something else to do what they do. Or they are looking for new ways to accomplish their tasks.

Contrast that with the scientist who delights in explaining his fruit fly research and the activities of the many young soon-to-be scientists who work under him. Compare that unhappiness with the heart surgeon who has spent decades honing his own skills, teaching them to others while developing new techniques. Or consider the career of Washington Post columnist Mary McGrory who died recently at the age of 85 and was praised by a colleague as “the most luminous writer and clearest thinker in the business.” She continued writing until a year before her death at age 85.

The difference between those people and the burnouts is that they chose to do something they liked, and they continued to do what they liked. I remember when I was considering my career choices, and my mother looked at me seriously,” Choose something you enjoy doing. There is no amount of money that will repay you for spending your life doing something you hate.”

That, of course, presupposes that you have the opportunity to choose a career you love. Certainly, some people get stuck in jobs that are unlovable. Those who are the least miserable, though, are the ones who find something likeable in what they do, even if it is only a small, tangential part.

One summer morning I had the good fortune to be walking through the cool streets of Amsterdam with my family. We were on our way to visit the Ann Frank House. From a distance, I heard a strong baritone voice raised in operatic area. As we drew nearer, we saw that the singer was a dredger on a barge, floating through the famous canals as he sang. The high walls of the Renaissance era homes proved a perfect sounding board for his voice as it echoed through the streets. He finished with a flourish. We applauded, and he bowed. Then he began dragging his dredge machine across the bottom of the canal, and as he did, he began another song.

I do not know that he loved his job, but it was apparent that he had found a way to enjoy it. We should all take a lesson.

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