To Love Your Work Is True Success

“Let us realize that: the privilege to work is a gift, the power to work is a blessing, the love of work is success!” ~ David O. McKay

If you live and work in the U.S., there's a good chance you look forward to Labor Day as an extra day off at the beginning of September. But Labor Day was actually created as a celebration of workers and the contributions they make through their work.

And that got me thinking about something bigger...

Over the next couple of months, we're going to be talking a lot about time. More specifically, where we're spending it, what we're giving it to, and whether the way we're using it reflects what matters most to us. So, what does this have to do with work? Well, I can't think of a better place to begin than with work because, for most of us, work will consume a significant amount of our time throughout our lives.

Just consider the math. Someone working a traditional 40-hour workweek for roughly 45 years could spend around 90,000 hours of their life working. Of course, everyone's career looks different, but the point is still worth considering.

That's a lot of your life to spend doing something you hate.

Your Work Doesn't Have to Stay the Same

Here's something else I find interesting. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median employee had been with their current employer for just 3.9 years in 2024. And although you've probably heard statistics claiming that the average person changes careers five or seven times, the BLS says there isn't actually a reliable statistic for lifetime career changes because there's no universally accepted definition of what constitutes a career change.

What they do know is that changing jobs and even occupations throughout our working lives is very common. And I can confirm that with many of the clients I’ve worked with throughout the years, being in a career transition when they decided to work with me.

So let this be an important reminder…

The career you chose at 22 doesn't have to be the career you have at 42 or 62. You are allowed to grow. Your interests can change. Your priorities can shift. You can discover new gifts, develop new skills, and gain greater clarity about how you want to contribute to the world.

I've certainly experienced that in my own life.

I started working when I was 14 years old at a family-owned ice cream shop. From there, I experienced several different jobs before eventually beginning my career as a school counselor. I loved counseling and spent ten meaningful years doing that work before another chapter began calling me.

In 2005, I started my coaching business.

More than 20 years later, I can say without hesitation that I love the work I get to do. Helping people master their mindset, create meaningful change, and become their best true selves isn't simply a job for me. It connects deeply to my purpose and who I am.

Does that mean I love every task associated with running a business? Absolutely not! There are things I would happily hand off to someone else, days that are harder than others, and times when work still feels like... well, work.

But when I look at the bigger picture, the good far outweighs the bad. My purpose and passion are woven into what I do, and that makes my work feel like a blessing.

To me, that's a form of success worth celebrating. 

How Do You Feel About the Time You Spend Working?

So now I'd like you to think about your own work.

When you consider all the hours you're giving to it, how do you feel about the way you're spending that part of your life? Do you enjoy what you do? Does your work allow you to use your strengths and contribute in ways that matter to you? Are you still growing? Does the good outweigh the bad?

And maybe an even more important question is this: If nothing changed, would you be happy spending the next five or ten years doing what you're doing now?

I'm not suggesting that everyone who has a bad Monday should quit their job. Every career has difficult seasons, challenging people, frustrating tasks, and days when we'd rather be somewhere else. Loving your work doesn't mean loving every minute of it.

But there's a difference between having parts of your job you don't enjoy and realizing you've been spending years of your life doing work that no longer fits who you are.

If that's where you are, don't ignore that awareness.

Awareness creates choice. And choice gives you an opportunity to create change.

Maybe that means going back to school or learning a new skill. Maybe it's polishing your resume, exploring another position within your company, starting the business you've been thinking about, or finally taking a courageous leap into an entirely different career.

Or maybe you don't need to leave at all.

Perhaps you've simply become disconnected from why you started. Maybe it's time to look again at the difference your work makes, reconnect with the parts you once loved, or make some changes that bring more purpose and enjoyment back into what you're already doing.

The answer will be different for everyone.

Spend Your Time on Something Worth Doing

As we begin looking more closely at where our time goes, I want you to remember that time is one resource you can never get back. And when such a significant part of your life is spent working, I believe it's worth asking whether that work is helping you create a life you actually want to live.

So this Labor Day, don't just celebrate having a day off from work.

Take a little time to reflect on the work itself.

Are you proud of what you do? Are you using your gifts? Are you growing? Are you contributing in a way that feels meaningful? And most importantly, are you spending this precious part of your life doing something you can genuinely say you enjoy?

If the answer is yes, celebrate that. It truly is a gift.

And if the answer is no, perhaps this Labor Day can mark something else worth celebrating, like the moment you decide it's time to begin exploring what's next.

Because you may have to work for a living, but that doesn't mean you have to spend your life simply living for the weekends.

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