Forgiveness: The Forgotten Skill

Forgiveness isn’t usually thought as a life skill, except in religious traditions, but it should be. It is important in all walks of life including at work. We spend most of our waking hours there, increasing our chances for conflict, anger and hurt feelings.

Forgiveness isn’t just a virtuous thing to do. It’s a smart thing to do. Here are some thoughts on forgiveness:

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
– Louis B. Smedes

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.”
– Paul Boese

“It is the act of forgiveness that opens up the only possible way to think creatively about the future at all.”
– Father Desmond Wilson

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Forgiveness is an act of courage. There is no guarantee that it will lead another person to change. The only guarantee is you will live the life of your choosing, a life of greater happiness and effectiveness.

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love what you do, the money will follow

There is an old saying, which is usually true: if you do what you love, the money will come. But let’s be realists too, there is no point chasing a career that no one will pay you for.

I hate this advice, not just because the word “passion”, but also because it’s a terrible life plan.

Reason No. 1: Not everyone has a passion.
Reason No. 2: It’s a total lie that you’re bound to make money if you love what you do, particularly if that thing is in the arts – which, let’s face it, it usually is.

We also find people quoting the opposite like Steve Jobs who said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

So, which one should we follow: doing what we love or loving what we do?

The answer is relatively easy if we dig a little deeper. First let’s not confuse with hobby/interest with passion for work which makes money. I love browsing internet and chatting in social networking sites but that doesn’t pay me. Finding a financially viable career passion is very rare. We may love something very much as a hobby but making a career, gaining respect for it, turning it into a business opportunity is extremely difficult.

We find doing what we love a myth only if we confuse hobby/interest with passion gained through hard work.

Here’s a plan how we can chase this mystery. Think of all the things you are passionate about or were passionate about during childhood/high school and then answer this question:

“Can I make money out of it?” If the answer is no, it’s simply a hobby you can do it in your spare time.

“Today, however, job seekers are now in the driver’s seat to search for and find a job they love. They are more in control to ramp up their job search to find more opportunities that better align with their degree, personal goals and interests, or family needs.” — Tara Sinclair, chief economist at Indeed Hiring Lab

When you found a job you love or find interesting and financially viable work hard, improve you skills required for that business. Use small achievements to keep motivated. As warren Buffet said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”. Don’t worry if you can’t find it in a single attempt, after all it is the passion of your life.