Here is an example of a lay person (me) practicing the
Noble Eightfold Path -
1. Right View
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right
Mindfulness
8. Right
Concentration
- in relation to a job/career situation.
“Okay, so I’m ever so slightly bored with my work, and
yearning for challenge. I’ve had doubts about my career path for a while. But
the remuneration is good and I don’t want to rock the boat. What do I do?”
1) Right View:
The right view is that not all jobs are fun and
interesting. In fact, pretty much 99% of jobs are really quite boring. Still,
you need to find the element of fun (and any silver linings) in whatever you
do. Just because you are bored with your work, doesn’t mean it is necessarily
wrong for you (you could be bored in 98 out of 100 different other jobs - it’s
only the very very fortunate few who have truly interesting and fun jobs.)
2) Right
Intention:
The right intention regards work/career, is always to
give 100%. Even if the job is boring, do it well, find efficiencies, try to
excel in whatever you do (but “if it’s hard to learn to do something well,
learn to be happy doing it poorly.”) You are not a charity case, your employer
is paying you good money to do a job, so do your job and do it well (at least
to the best of your ability.)
3) Right Speech:
The right speech in this situation is to keep positive.
Be honest but not negative in your speech. Always be grateful (you’re lucky to
have a job). Always be respectful of your management, colleagues, and
co-workers.
4) Right Action:
The right action for now is to stick at it. If you do not
see other career options, other pathways, then you have to knuckle down to whatever you do, and do a good job. Opportunities may open for you in the
future, keep your eyes open!
5) Right
Livelihood:
If what you’re doing is bad for you/bad for others, then
it is not the right livelihood. Otherwise, if you are not harming anyone or
yourself doing this job, it is a rightful livelihood. Maybe there is a better
livelihood for you, but changing career/employer from a good job/good employer
to something else, takes a firm conviction that the change is going to work out
for the better (and if you don’t have firm conviction, then keep the idea
parked).
6) Right Effort:
Always 100%. If you can do 110% or more, that is excellent,
but burn out is a dangerous thing. Avoid burn out, and avoid undue stress (to be successful in life you have to deal with some stress - doing new things/jumping in at the deep-end is good for you, but you'll need to manage the stress.)
7) Right
Mindfulness:
Always keep in mind, when you see people doing more
interesting and challenging jobs which you think you could excel at, there’s
always many many people looking at your job and thinking how much they would
love to do what you do. If you can make a change for the better, that is
excellent. If the option of changing roles is not on the cards (at least for
now), be happy with what you do, for it is a damn sight better than many many
jobs, which people - with similar/more potential that you - have to (and do)
put up with.
8) Right
Concentration:
There is work time and there is play time, and then there
is also the often overlooked development time. In work time you should be
concentrating (and focusing) on your work, and not daydreaming or otherwise
(also, if you work hard and keep yourself busy, then the work time will go
quicker). Play time is for fun and having fun is good for your health (mental
and bodily). Development time is time where you’re not working, and time you
don’t need for play (you’ve got the need for fun out of your system), where you
can develop yourself (be it personally or skilfully) and become better in some
way. Always have some personal project on the go and try to find development
time for yourself. Perhaps there’s a different career path you have in mind,
this would need development time (if you simply don’t have the development time
for this other career path, you have to accept it’s likely a non-starter/has
passed you by.)
Image: A slightly
different take on the Noble Eightfold Path
