To get the most benefit from working out it’s important to have a plan and consistently measure yourself and keep pushing your goals and yet it’s surprising how rarely that’s done in a professional setting. We spend over 40 hours a week working but the majority of us view it as a chore and something that we just have to do. Imagine if everyone approached work the same way they approach the gym. People would have much clearer ideas of what they want to do and what challenges they face. They would be able to measure how well they’re doing and understanding what they need to start doing to get to the next level. Instead most approach it as something that they need to do rather than something they want to do.

Consistently going to the gym without a plan will definitely improve your shape and is better than not going at all. But it pales with what would happen if you went to the gym with a plan in mind. It took me a long time to realize this and I suspect most people approach work passively - they’ll just put in the time, do a good job, and see where things will go. But true success and joy come from constantly reevaluating your goals and thinking through the means to achieve them.

It’s depressing to think that most people spend a third of their day on something that they’re not actively engaged with when an attitude change can change the entire perception of work. Rather than putting in the bare minimum we should be thinking of what we want in our lives and how work can make that happen.

Many people seem to idealize retirement but I want to be so engaged in my work that I never want to stop. This is the vision we should all be working towards. I understand that this is a privileged perspective and not everyone has this choice and there are always constraints but it’s something we should all strive to attain.