Listening to the end of Coming Up Short, Robert Reich’s memoir. Daughter and I saved it to listen on the road trip to college at the end of August. We finished all but the last two hours, which I could not bring myself to continue alone until now, nine weeks later. Highly recommend! His stories are rich and heartfelt, and I respect his principles and values. He is forthright and honest in his unflinching conviction and passion for lifting the middle/working class and making government work for all, not just the rich, an ideal to which he has dedicated his professional life. Reich describes his emotions at retirement, including gratitude and ambivalence. I wonder how I will feel when I stop seeing patients for a living, though I imagine I will always think of myself as a doctor.

So I hope I can come up with twelve excellent love notes for work!

Two days into thirty, I notice how redundant these love notes feel to write and reread all at once. As readers can you see these post titles as a list? Does it occur to you to read the first couple each day this month and save the rest for later? Would it work to dip in and out of this blog throughout this month and beyond, depending on what love note you need/want on a given day? Would you come here to pluck a love note for a friend or loved one? At the same time it feels a little awkward to write them this way, I wonder if these thirty days could be a closer approximation of my love notes pocketbook than I initially imagined? Hmmm, we shall see! 😀

Let us continue:

1. OK so, my friend, what do you love about your work? How does it fulfill youo and bring you joy? I hope you can count multiple ways!

2. Autonomy. Mastery. Purpose. May you feel these enough or even in spades daily. Now go forth and badass this day.

3. You work. Whether or not you make money is a different story. You spend time and energy doing, and that matters. You. Matter. onward.

4. May the meaning and personal fulfillment in your work far outweigh its stress over the long term! And if not, may you cope healthily.

5. Even if your work is solitary, may you always know without a doubt the positive impact it has on those it touches. And may you(r) support network live at your fingertips.

6. Our culture too often equates work or career with identity. If that works for you, yay! If not, good on you! You contain multitudes. Your job is only one aspect of you.

7. What inspires motivates gratifies you at work today? This week? Ever? May it recur on your consciousness regularly!

8. Whatever B.S. you must cope with at your job (because let’s be honest we all do), may it take a backseat to your mission and purpose. You’ got work to do.

9. However you describe your job — maker, helper, builder or anything else, may you feel meaning and intrinsic joy in it every day!

10. Hey, maybe take a break from work today and *dance*!? 😀 Who knows how life could be better if we all did this daily? Go on, twirl a little.

11. May your next work day bring you the meaning you most need, and interactions with our fellow humans that lift you in the best ways!

12. May you always see, feel, and internalize the value of your work to humanity. You do good, and that matters. Onward! You matter.

Thanks for coming with me on this love note trip with me! Please tell me how it’s going? 🙂