I agree that people should sometimes do things that they don’t enjoy doing. This is a basic part of being an adult. Plus, some things that aren’t "fun" are still good for us in the long run. 1 C' b6 m0 t3 s8 A& O( T
Take personal tasks. Who enjoys going to the dentist? Very few people enjoy having their annual check-up with the doctor. Not a lot of people enjoy changing the oil in their car or mowing their lawns. These are all things we do because we have to, not because we want to. We realize that 7 V: {6 \0 V# j$ X( R
taking care of our physical health is the sensible thing to do. We know that if we don’t change the oil in our cars, our cars won’t run. We understand that grass grows and if we don’t mow it, our
& P0 |+ o' m4 |8 y! f2 Glawns will look like tropical forests. / N) V6 W4 f9 A; J! E
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Professional tasks are another part of the same equation. No one likes to be stuck with a boring 6 m( G! B$ S9 E) C
assignment or to be told we have to work with someone no one else gets along with. Sometimes
) V0 ]7 ^- z+ f3 ?we have to put up with unfair criticism from a supervisor or resentment from those we supervise.
+ T. V9 G/ N$ [" d$ \* F! XIf we’re in management, we may have had the unpleasant task of having to fire someone. None of ) p; ~) R# \. }* t% d- ]
these are fun things. Unfortunately, they’re all part of earning a living, something the majority of
7 p, }* W% E- }9 j7 Fadults have to do.
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1 ]/ Y8 @# z/ v LOn the other hand, sometimes doing something we don’t enjoy doing can lead to enjoyment. & y/ \0 A7 h5 S4 \3 O0 n0 C
Simply by trying it again, we may decide we like doing it. For instance, we may have convinced " Q% f( ~$ q4 [: U9 F: A, K
ourselves we hate to dance. We agree to go to a club only to please someone else. Yet, for some
1 K: Q( q9 I) g- t( v8 d8 o6 Z( Treason, this time we enjoy dancing. We’ve been cheating ourselves of enjoyment without even 0 C( V( j- e0 M, E! L m- X3 x
knowing it. The same can be true of trying new foods or going to a new type of museum. ( `$ G. i1 P, j: a
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Doing what we don’t enjoy doesn’t always have to be a bother, does it? It’s just part of life. |