The Spirit and Soul of Work

I couldn't help but think about what Brynn wrote in her servant-leadership essay. She talked about the spirit and soul of servant-leadership, the spirit being the lofty aspirations and ambitious plans we have for ourselves, and the soul being the little day-to-day things we do. For me the soul is finding not only purpose but joy in the seemingly mundane tasks on the farm. I have taken this weekend to think about my job as a grounds-keeper/farm-hand, and take pride in that work rather than drag my feet along simply doing things because I am paid to do it. Sure, making money is a good motivator for doing the work, but the real satisfaction is in doing the work well and having a good attitude about it.
This takes me back to last semester in the Environmental Justice course; we had an exercise where we discussed working, and how many people suffer from having careers that are not "big enough for their spirit." This is a profound issue. If people do not feel that Drum Major Instinct, i.e. feeling like their life has purpose, that they are making a difference, that they will be remembered for something, then what is the point of continuing down that dead-end road?
Already I can feel a difference in the "workplace aura." This is partly due to the fact that this weekend the Western Seat Equestrian Team took first place in their showing. But I would also like to think that I have come to work today with a much better attitude, and that has made things flow a little easier around the farm. I volunteered for things I normally make sure I am far away from when my boss is assigning duties, and I mucked (cleaned) horse stalls with a smile on my face. Which by the way, smells great first thing in the morning after the horses have been in all night! I moved through various tasks with purpose rather than with a turtle-pace. This is not to say I normally avoid work or intentionally move slow, but that I am attempting to look at things a little differently this week...To me that is the soul of servant-leadership.