Benefits of a Hard Day's Work

It's that time of year again; as the sun stays out longer and the days get warmer, Spring temperatures and the labor that comes with it are in full circle.  Whether it's Spring cleaning, yard work, or construction projects, you're sure to be doing more physical labor in the coming months than you probably did over the winter.  With that in mind, I wanted to examine for a little while the benefits of a hard day's labor.

The first benefit to a hard day's labor is the sense of accomplishment after its all over.  Recently, over the weekend, I spent about 8 hours doing yard work from planting this year's garden to mowing, and laying 24 bags of mulch.  After it was all over, the property looked really nice and I was rather proud of the work I did.  You might not be getting too many sources of accomplishment in your own job or daily routine, so a hard day's labor can be a welcome opportunity to really receive some positive reinforcement.

After your sense of accomplishment, you can be reassured that your results are physical proof of your hard labor.  I like to think about this as if I were a construction worker, the epitome of hard labor.  After all those rough weather days and hard labor, I can look up at the building my team just constructed and feel good knowing that we created something great.  The same thing can be said for a day's labor.  You will see the result, and if done with passion, can be quite proud of it.

Physical labor can also be considered great exercise.  You have to be careful here though that you aren't breaking your back over the labor.  Lifting improperly can put a damper on your future quality of life, but if you're just moving around all day you will definitely get your daily exercise.  That mild soreness you get the day after working hard can almost be pleasurable at times.

Working out on a job doing hard labor can change your perspective on things.  You might hate your cubicle job, but after a day outside doing tough work, you might appreciate not having to do that every day for the rest of your life.  Also, I usually find hard monotonous work soothing since I can let my mind wander and think about anything that's going on in my life.  Your brain needs time to process and analyze things in your life; what better time than when you are mowing.

Finally, I think one of the often overlooked qualities of hard labor is that you will genuinely feel discomfort and that's a good thing.  This may sound strange, but in today's comfort driven lifestyle, we try to ameliorate anything that might cause us a little pain.  By experiencing this pain every once and awhile, we can be reminded of how good we have it and appreciate even more the comfortable times.

I wouldn't want to make a career out of it, but every now and then a little hard work is good for the mind, body, and spirit.  It's a humbling task that can allow you to explore other aspects of your life.  If you're feeling a little lost, why not let your mind wander and do a project?

Wonderful Moment of the Day: Got all my Spring yard projects complete!