Inspire This

For some people, work is just one more hassle in a life full of annoyances.  I don’t fully understand those who are completely miserable in their profession.  For me, it makes sense to either love what you do, or keep chasing until you find it.  To toil and waste away for years in the same unsatisfied position speaks volumes about an individual.  There has to be more out there, a greater purpose to life, and it is illogical not to try to find out what that is.  I promise that this somewhat pompous rant will make sense by the end of this post, just hang in there.

I’m not going to act like my position at Jo-Ann Fabrics is earth shattering by any stretch of the imagination.  Simply put, my role is to try to get middle-aged women to buy more stuff by offering an engaging in-store customer experience.  I know, not exactly in a 28 year-old male’s wheelhouse.  One of these days I will try to understand the difference between knitting and crocheting, but that part of my brain is currently filled with the running list of 1990s WWF Tag-Team Champions and other useless knowledge.  So my job is to inspire the Jo-Ann customer to spend more money.  I absolutely love what I do mainly because I love customer-engaging marketing, but as for that greater purpose...well I can’t say that selling more doilies satisfies that part.

Which brings me to the reason I wanted to write this post.  Like I said, Jo-Ann aims to provide its customers with inspiration.  However, my wife, Eileen, truly is an inspiration in the lives that she touches as an oncology nurse at the Cooper Cancer Center at Summa.  Eileen continues to amaze me everyday with her dedication and simple approach to her career.  Oncology nurses become like family during the few short months that they are with their patients.  Eileen understands this better than anybody and takes great pride in her patient care.  The patients at the Cooper Cancer Center truly are blessed to not only have two great doctors, but also to have somebody like her with them along their journey.

Unfortunately, we all have been affected by the devastation of cancer in one way or another.  In just a span of 14 months, Eileen and I lost 4 family members to the disease.  In every instance of loss, Eileen went back to her position more determined than ever to be a shining light in the lives of patients.  I do not know how she does it.  I guess you just have to be wired a little differently.  I would break down like a baby.  Eileen is my motivation and inspiration to find passion in whatever I do.  She took a crack at this blogging thing too.  You can read her blog about Nurses Week at http://www.summaflourish.org/2011/05/my-inspiration/.  She will love that I posted that, so if you want more sappy stuff, head over there.

This brings me back to my first point.  Don’t view work as an annoyance.  Everybody can make some small difference in people’s lives.  If you work as a waitress then do the unexpected and deliver exceptional service.  If you work in an office, then try to make work a little more fun for others by taking a refreshing approach to business.  If you work for Time Warner Cable, then just quit your job, because there’s no way you’re bringing joy to anybody.  In order to get the most out of work, you must find that passion that drives you.  Ribbon and scrapbooking projects may help pay the bills, but Eileen and other nurses are life’s true inspiration.