Row, Row, Row Your Boat

“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment.”

Dr. Viktor Frankl

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about a recent conversation with someone who wasn’t sure they were in the right career. Their level of discontentment and unhappiness with life was troubling. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Gilford Highet in The Art of Teaching recalls the provocative and humorous story of the famous orchestra conductor Toscanini who once arrived on tour in a new city and took over an orchestra he had never conducted before. He started conducting and after a minute or two noticed that the first violin player looked odd. He was playing well enough, but his face was all distorted, and when he turned a page of the score, he grimaced as though he were in great pain.

Toscanini stopped the orchestra and said, “Concert-master! Are you ill?” The first violin’s face at once returned to normal.

“No, thank you,” he said, “I’m quite all right maestro. Please go on.”

“Very well, if you’re sure you’re fit,” Toscanini said. “Begin at D, please musicians.” And off they went again. But the next time Toscanini glanced at the first violin, he saw him looking worse than ever. His face was all drawn up to one side, his teeth were showing between wolfish lips, his brow was furrowed with deep clefts; he was sweating painfully, and breathing hard.

“One moment, please. Concert-master, you really look ill. Do you want to go home?”

“No, no, no Mr. Toscanini, please go ahead.”

“But I insist,” said Toscanini. “What’s wrong, are you having an attack, would you like to lie down awhile?”

“No, I’m not ill,” said the first violin.

“Well, what on earth is the matter?” said Toscanini. “You look awful, you have been making the most agonizing faces, you’re obviously suffering . . .”

“To be quite frank,” said the first violin, “I hate music.”

Imagine playing in an orchestra and not loving music. How absurd. Yet, everyday people are involved in jobs they don’t enjoy. Still others are engrossed in careers they don’t want. Work becomes an irritating necessity that strips them of professional adventure and satisfaction.

Remember as children how we sang over and over again the words of the famous song Row, Row, Row Your Boat? Let me refresh your memory:

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.

These lyrics contain a powerful message. Row, row, row whose boat? That’s right . . . YOUR boat. Not someone else’s boat or the boat someone told you to row. What boat (career) do you want to be in? Quite simply, if you hate music, then playing in the orchestra will not make work a dream. A nightmare would be more like it.

“Each one of us has some kind of vocation,” said Thomas Merton. “We are called by God to share in His life and in His kingdom. Each one of us is called to a special place in the kingdom. If we find that place we will be happy. If we do not find it, we can never be completely happy.”

Do you love your vocation? Do you go home from work feeling fulfilled and satisfied? Do you begin each day looking forward to the challenges awaiting you? Is there a sense of peace about this being the job you were specifically chosen to do?

If you answer “yes” to these questions, the chances are good you are rowing your boat, doing what you choose and love to do. If, on the other hand, you immediately answered “no,” I assure you, a better fit between you and what you do is possible.

Find your passion. Clarify what’s important to you. Never mind attempting to be like someone else. Know who you are and what you have a burning desire to do. Move in the direction of your niche and enjoy the journey as much as the ultimate destination. Begin rowing YOUR boat today and experience the achievement and satisfaction reserved for you.

“Many business people have mourned the death of the work ethic in America. But few of us have applauded the logic of the new value taking its place” ‘Work should be fun.’ That outrageous assertion is the value that fuels the most productive people and companies in this country.”

John Naisbitt