Most of us must engage in some form of gainful employment to earn a living. To help ease the pain, we search for wisdom to help us through the burden. Reflect on two famous quotes:

(1) “Nothing is work, unless you would rather be doing something else,” attributed to George Halas (1895-1983), football player, coach and owner of the Chicago Bears; but another similar quote: “Nothing is really work, unless you would rather be doing something else,” is attributed to a British playwright, James Barrie (1890-1937.)  I will pass over who plagiarized whom, but I prefer the Halas quote because it omits an unnecessary adverb, thus adding greater power to the message.

(2) “Nothing will work, unless you do,” attributed to Maja Angelo (1928-2014), a catchy directive to live by.

As one reflects on those quotes, we are reminded of other adages, like: “put a shoulder to the wheel”, “keep their nose to the grindstone” and “focus on the task at hand.” Their simplicity overlies a deep philosophical meaning, related to dedication, passion, and focus. At difficult moments, reflecting on them can motivate a person to focus on what needs to be done and to resolve not to do anything else until you complete it.

But, enough about work! Lets consider the obverse: “The joy of doing nothing”, the author’s panacea for taking a much needed break from too much work. Certainly, taking a break in work: to relax, to refresh and to reflect, merits contemplation. Enjoying a moment of pure leisure, or deep meditation, provides needed balance. Of course, one cannot expect perfect balance; i.e., 50% work; 50% leisure, but a modicum of leisure will reward a plenitude of work.

In addition to doing nothing, known in the vernacular as “chilling out,” we all know some “workers,” who strive to do anything other than work, like playing games on office computers, holding meetings with little purpose, conversing socially with friends over company telephones, and on it goes. To be sure, these folks fall between the leisure/work balance, and reject the “Nothing is/will work . . .” directives. Unfortunately, without a paycheck, they cannot afford to engage in their “rather be doing something else” reverie, and ultimately come full circle to accept, “Nothing will work, unless you do.”