Have you ever wanted to work harder but felt like there was some sort of psychological barrier preventing you from doing so? Sometimes we try to train our bodies or do our work, but it feels like we are moving through sludge. We feel like we are trying to sprint in a dream, but are going nowhere. Oftentimes we simply lack the motivation. But one way to begin to combat this is to shift our perspective. We must always remember the fact that we actually work for God. This will help us improve our work ethic.
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for[a] you serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24
The Bible teaches that if we change our focus from working for men to working for God, we can work more “heartily”.
Maybe you are unmotivated to work for your boss, remember that you actually work for God. Make that a constant reminder in your mind. We may not always want to work hard for our bosses if we are unfortunate enough to have them. But if we act as if we are working for God, our work ethic will naturally improve. We will not want to let Him down, so we will give more effort and quality to our work.
The Bible teaches that a way to increase work ethic is to shift your perspective.
Perspective change creates action change as well as emotion change. We usually do not have many huge problems in life. We only think they are huge because we have nothing to compare them to. The second we see someone with a real problem, we are faced with a stark reminder that our situation is not actually that bad. What changes our emotional and mental state in this instance? A change in perspective.
Our problems at work are only difficult until we lose someone we love or contract a life-altering disease. At that moment our previous issues seem petty. So why not shift our perspective now without the horrible event? How much better would your life be if you could constantly be aware of how great you have it?
And I am not trying to minimize the difficulties that many people go through. And at the same time, there is always someone out there with a more serious problem, who is worse off than we are. And that is a reason to be thankful for what we have now and whatever life position we are in.
All that is an example of shifting our perception in order to shift our mindset, and general mental state as well as our emotional state. We can perform the same perspective shift in our work, which is what the Bible is trying to teach us. We are not working for men, we are actually working for God. And if we make that shift, we will find that our mental and emotional state changes as well.
We work for God.
When we realize this and shift our perspective, the following will happen:
- We will begin to find a little more energy and zest in our work and life.
- What we do with our days will have more meaning, even if we are completing menial tasks.
- Our work ethic will linearly and naturally improve.
- We will be able to bring more quality to our work without feeling as if we are straining to complete it.
- We will become more valuable to those around us.
- We will possess a better overall attitude, which is its own reward and is highly rare and valuable in modern times.
Act as if you are working for God.
Whatever you act like, you will eventually become. Act as if you are working for God and eventually you will begin to have a work ethic that reflects that. And it will almost seem as if you did nothing extra to get there. Almost as if it were effortless. But it does take effort and energy to shift your perspective. but perspective, once shifted, will much more easily guide your actions through each day. Take advantage of the way you can guide your mind.
We will often work harder for others than we will for ourselves.
This does not apply to everyone, many people can create massive success only for themselves. Others need help to create more motivation in their lives. Maybe you would work much harder for your family or friends than you would for yourself. Why not combine this with the idea that you are working directly for God? And that you must do this work intensely.
The way we talk to ourselves and represent things in our minds changes the way we can create actions, especially at work. We need to learn that the work we do is important and that we can use changes in internal thoughts to create a better work ethic.
Shift your mentality and begin to work for God.
