How to Make Your Mark

This morning I came across a quote that I’m trying to wrap my mind around and apply it to my personal life. The quote is from Mark Twain. He said, “The secret to success in life is making your vocation your vacation.” Now, that’s huge!! The mass of humanity approach their vocations as hard work and that is why many get thrilled when they get a vacation day or time off from their vocations. It’s all over society. In school, students can’t wait for school to close so that they can go on their breaks or vacations. I know many people who shout for joy when there’s inclement weather and they can’t go to their vocations. I once worked with a friend who worked for time off. He would amass overtime and count it against his regular time so that he could stay home and watch TV.

How do we get to the place where our vocations become a vacation? First, I think we need to do what we love. This means discovering what we are talented at and doing our very best at that particular thing. Second, we must love what we do. This means changing our attitudes about work. Work is supposed to be fun. Work can become play if we choose to make it so! Third, we need to become single-focus people. Many times we dislike what we are doing because our minds are distracted by so many other things. This may also mean becoming mission-oriented in life. Have a guiding vision that defines who you are as a person.