<\/p>\n
Things won are done;
joy\u2019s soul lies in the doing.
(William Shakespeare)<\/p>\n
OUR NATURE IS SUCH THAT WE DERIVE A DEEP SATISFACTION FROM \u201cDOING.\u201d We are workers, and despite our occasional complaints to the contrary, we basically enjoy the act of working. It\u2019s not just that we enjoy the accomplishment of \u201chaving done\u201d certain things, and it\u2019s not just that we enjoy the rest and recreation that come after we\u2019ve engaged in \u201cdoing\u201d \u2014 we actually enjoy the doing itself, at least under normal circumstances. There is a deeply felt, wholesome sense of rightness that comes from being in the midst of doing.<\/em><\/p>\n The joy of doing, however, depends to a large extent on whether we\u2019re doing our best.<\/em> The old saying that \u201canything worth doing is worth doing well\u201d is a reminder that there is some worth or value in well-doing, and a part of the worth is the joy that comes from it. Simply put, it feels good to be actively involved in high-quality work.<\/p>\n Yet even doing our best is not enough. It\u2019s also important to inquire whether what we\u2019re doing is good and right.<\/em> As Gore Vidal commented, \u201cThere is nothing more debasing than the work of those who do well what is not worth doing at all.\u201d So we must make sure our doing is aligned with principles of proven worth. Unprincipled work, no matter how high the quality, is much better off left undone.<\/p>\n But, as Montaigne said, \u201cSaying is one thing and doing is another.\u201d In the present age of information, we are inundated with words. Talk is everywhere. But as someone long ago said, \u201cTalk is cheap,\u201d and we need to be careful not to let talk substitute for doing. The joy of doing comes not from promising to do but from doing what we promise, so we need to follow through and do what we say.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s another problem that\u2019s characteristic of our age, however, it\u2019s that we often rush through our doing so hurriedly that we lose out on any enjoyment that it might provide. How much better it would be if we did our \u201cdoings\u201d more thoughtfully. If we\u2019d take the time to \u201ctaste\u201d the things we do, we\u2019d often find them very gratifying.<\/p>\n Let us, then, be up and doing, Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)<\/p>\n