There’s Joy In Doing Productive Work
”I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was duty. I worked — and behold, duty was joy.”
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There’s this thing I noticed with people who do well in life. They are all very active and productive. Just think of any person you admire, and ask yourself, “Why do I look up to this person?”
Let me give you an example. My favorite filmmaker is Christopher Nolan. I’ve seen all his feature films (except for his latest), and they are all amazing — from the cinematography and music to the casting and acting.
The man is a master of his craft. But why is Nolan respected by so many people? It’s not because he made one or two great films. There are many great films, made by great directors. No, he’s one of the most consistent filmmakers there is — in terms of quality and output. Take a look at his filmography:
- 1998 Following
- 2000 Memento
- 2002 Insomnia
- 2005 Batman Begins
- 2006 The Prestige
- 2008 The Dark Knight
- 2010 Inception
- 2012 The Dark Knight Rises
- 2014 Interstellar
- 2017 Dunkirk
- 2020 Tenet
For 22 years, he has made a movie every two/three years. It’s mind-boggling. I can’t even imagine how much time and energy goes into creating a feature film.
This goes beyond talent and creativity. To put out a movie every few years, one needs a relentless work ethic. Nolan doesn’t only make great movies, he’s also one of the most productive filmmakers.
The Void Is What Gets You Stuck
In a world with endless opportunities, our biggest challenge is picking something we dedicate our time and energy to. Most of us are in a perpetual state of inactivity.
Every day, week, month, and year looks the same. Time goes by, we do our work, pay the bills, and we get older. We don’t create any art, books, music, movies, businesses, furniture, clothing, jewelry, etc. We don’t learn new skills, we don’t explore our curiosity.
