Love for the Work Itself

“You must be prepared to work always without applause.”  -Ernest Hemingway

Non-attachment is a central principle of the Bhagavad Gita, one of the major Hindu holy books.  It is believed that by remaining detached from outcomes, we are in a better position to simply fulfill the tasks entrusted to us.  In other words, when we are detached, our ability to complete tasks does not depend on how well or how poorly the results turn out.  That way, we can fulfill our responsibilities without our egos getting in the way.

Unfortunately, in the real world, most humans cannot sustain interest in responsibilities without some type of gratification.  Their work may not always turn out correct or aesthetically pleasing to the masses, but something has to keep them coming back to work, right?  Maybe it’s the salary, the benefits, or even the sheer joy they get out of the work they do.  While we ideally want all three of these qualities to characterize the work we do in our lives, perhaps the most powerful and sustaining benefit we will derive from our work is a sense of joy from the effort we put forth.  After all, as long as we are intrinsically motivated by what we do, the work will be a reward in and of itself.

Of course, it’s important to receive some monetary compensation for what we do (you know, so we can eat).  However, although it’s always nice to receive positive praise for the fruits of our labor, we can live without that “applause” if we can take pride and joy in the work itself.

And, since we always like to draw analogies to our yoga practice – the same idea applies to our work on the mat.  For example, maybe you don’t really look forward to coming to yoga, but you like how your arms are getting toned from all the vinyasas, and you especially like the positive feedback you get from teachers on your form.  But you are not guaranteed to get those reinforcements all the time – and once those stop, are you going to keep coming to yoga?  Probably not, if you don’t derive some joy from the practice itself (or at least some of it – I know it’s hard to find joy during the fifth set of crescent lunges…)

We are best poised for success in anything if we would do it regardless of outcomes.  Maybe we’ll be successful, and maybe we won’t…but if we’d still do it either way, then we have some degree of detachment from the activity.  If we can continue working without the applause, maybe that’s exactly the type of work we should be doing.

 

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