The legendary Oriya writer and poet Fakir Mohan Senapati had something of a bad childhood. As a boy, he used to love reading and was by far the best among his classmates. His tutor had no reason for complaint.
But when the month ended and the tutor went to his uncle for their wages (Senapati had lost his parents), the man refused to pay. He argued that the boy always looked happy. There were never any cane lash marks on his back like the other kids. He had never even been heard complaining or crying. Therefore, no manner of good teaching could possibly be happening.
From then onwards, towards the end of every month, young Senapati's tutor turned monster on him to earn his pay. And he got it. This much is history.
Sound impossible? Sound brutal? Think we are past all this and in an age where these things don't happen anymore? Look around you.
Do you complain about your job? Do you hate (or at least seriously dislike) your boss? Is this your idea of a perfect occupation? Or do you think you can't do (or don't deserve) better? I don't need your answers. You do.
The very idea that work can be fun scares many. I have seen parents grow suspicious of kids if they laugh at something they read in a textbook. If you are having fun with your work, you couldn't possibly be doing anything worth calling work. Overtimes have come to define efficiency. Productivity has become synonymous with slogging.
Somewhere, we have gotten to thinking that "fun" and irresponsible" are synonymous. Not so! Enjoying your life is the most responsible thing you can do. -- Barbara J. Winter (Author of Making a Living Without a Job)The most productive people are also the happiest. True productivity starts with knowing what you want to produce and whether it is worth producing. True productivity is refreshing. It pumps energy into you like nothing else can. When you are at your productive best, you draw upon a part of you that doesn't understand the meaning of 'fatigue'.
If a state of real productivity is what you seek, perhaps you should start by enjoying yourself.
