Seth Godin talks a lot about doing emotional labour.
That’s the labor most of us do now. The work of doing what we don’t necessarily feel like doing, the work of being a professional, the work of engaging with others in a way that leads to the best long-term outcome.
It applies everywhere in life. It’s the hard stuff.
It’s always putting your relationship first.
It’s biting your tongue when tension is high, and you know you won’t say the right thing.
It’s trusting in a plan greater than yourself when everything feels wrong.
It’s loving your kids (or anyone) when they are yelling at you.
It’s walking towards your fears.
It’s letting the negative emotional energy run through you, instead of run you.
It’s letting the other person follow their path, even if you know it’s painful.
It’s being vulnerable.
It’s having the hard conversations.
It’s getting to know someone who’s different than you.
Emotional labour is classy and sexy no matter who you are, how old you are, or what kind of truck you drive.
The more you do it, the better looking you get.
It’s about you and the choices you make all day long… are you doing what’s easy, or are you doing emotional labour?