A few years ago, when I was booking speakers for a large women’s conference, I had the privilege of hearing the clip below from Jamie Lee Curtis. Jamie Lee talks to the audience here about the “nobility of work” and says (I’m paraphrasing a bit – take the time to watch the clip for exact words), “Every time you say to someone, ‘I have to go to work,’ you make it sound as if it’s a horrible thing to work……I suggest that you take the words ‘have to’ out of your vocabulary and exchange it for the words ‘get to’……Mommy gets to go to work today.”
There is such amazing power in these words. “I get to go to work today.” Especially today, where hundreds of thousands go without work, without food, without shelter. You don’t have to go to work. You get to go to work. And you should be proud and excited that you can have nobility in your work. Stop complaining, and start realizing that you are contributing to something larger than yourself. You are stepping into the shoes of every woman 100 years ago who longed to have an office, and into the shoes of the generation who will teach the next and the next the nobility of work for their children and their children’s children.
Your work is not a have to situation. Sure, we all have bad days. We all wish we could stay home and watch TV sometimes. But on those days, remember who came before you, and keep in mind the nobility of what you do. And if you truly do hate your job, step out and try something new, all the while remembering that working is a privilege in this country, not a right.
About the Author: Marcy Twete
Marcy Twete is the Founder and CEO of Career Girl Network and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.” At Career Girl Network, Marcy provides women with information, resources, and networking to empower them in their careers and to advance the work of women in business as a whole. Prior to launching Career Girl Network, Marcy worked in numerous nonprofit organizations and as a consultant in the field of nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and community relations. Marcy is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and a native of rural North Dakota. She is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network in Chicago and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities, and is dedicated to advancing the work of organizations that move the needle for women and girls worldwide.
Found this through Susanna Negovan on FB, and wow talk about perfect timing! I found myself feeling somewhat embarrassed after reading your post because all I've been doing lately is complaining.. complaining about no sleep, about not being able to get caught up on work despite working 12-18 hour days, about having session after session almost every day it seems… (started a photography business 2 years ago and particularly right now we're in the midst of overcoming challenges of too much growth in too short of time) You're so right in that it is SUCH a privilege to be able to have work right now. What a privilege and blessing to be complaining about too much work when people are struggling to find or keep their jobs, families are losing their homes and some people don't even know where they're going to find their next bed or meal. Thanks for the good read and for reminding how blessed I am to have such problems and to stop the negativity
xoxo
Suzy, thank you so much for your thoughts! This is exactly the reaction I had the first time I heard this notion, and I'm so glad I could pass it along to others!