Joy is the Juice
“If you work for money, you are no better than a slave. If you do anything you don’t enjoy in life, you are no better than a slave!”
Wow! Strong words from my first spiritual teacher. Michio Kushi was my adopted second father, so his pronouncement hit home. When he first expressed his view, I was upset. When he repeated his perspective at every opportunity, I got angry. Angrier and angrier each time he shared.
Anger Reveals the Truth
Because my upset was distancing me from my beloved mentor, I finally ask myself, “Keith, why are you so angry at Michio?” Digging deep, I realized he irritated me so much because he was speaking a truth—a truth I didn’t want to hear.
“But why does this observation disturb me so much?” I wondered. I begrudgingly admitted that his words were so aggravating because I couldn’t imagine how I could live in accordance with this truth. At twenty years old, I couldn’t envision how I could make a living doing only what was exciting to me. Fresh out of college, I was having a daunting challenge simply finding a job I could tolerate, let alone enjoy! “How could I make my way in the world doing solely what I love to do?” I lamented.
“What a glorious, enlightened goal!” my soul sang out. “What a laughable, unreachable standard!” my personality cried out. Don Quixote sprang to mind. I was chasing an impossible dream!
But thanks to my brash buddy, I went after that windmill in the sky—and realized my vision. I finally arrived at the destination my friend so cunningly dangled in front of my spirit. I discovered that not only was Michio correct, I found out how to attain that