Just as there are teachers who simply go through the motions and drag us through the material in order to complete a required course, there are companies and jobs and bosses that do the same. That doesn't mean you have to live with it. Avoid those fear-run workplaces. Quit those jobs. Ask your friends about where they work, or about companies they've read about or heard about where passion, excitement, and human energy are valued above all else. In those places, you will find that fear is not primary motivator for getting to results.
Although I've found that most organizations do not focus on their culture, there are also a significant number of companies who are quite clear about what they are trying to achieve. Those companies have a mission and a purpose in what they do. The people who work there are focused not on themselves, but on those they serve. They are working on something much bigger than themselves. I learned to love my job by connecting it to joy: joy for our customers, joy for the end users of our products, joy for my team, and personal joy in what we were doing.
Many believe this kind of mission focus can only occur in the non-profit world. This couldn't be further from the truth. There are successful purpose-driven private and public corporations, large and small. They are still rare, though, so it won't necessarily be easy to find them, but it is worth your time to pursue this search. Some of you will be inclined to do what I ultimately did and start your own firm, with its own mission and purpose. Entrepreneurship for me was the enabler of a noble yet selfish pursuit: I wanted to create a company that I loved. I created my own fulfilling job, but it would only be fulfilling to me if it were also rewarding for those who worked around me.
To learn to love your job, it's important to find a job where learning is a requirement to success. Learning produces joy, regardless of the industry you're in. Become a student again. Read books, study organizations, and stretch yourself to try new things. If you are in a technical or a support role, volunteer for sales support assignments and watch how your company interacts with its customers. Sign up for trade show booth duty and learn what others in the world are seeking from firms like yours. Learn to present in front of others. Sign up to speak at conferences, and then go listen to other speakers. Find the ideas, the people and the companies that inspire you.
1. The author's purpose in using teachers as an example is to （ ）.
2. The author favors companies that （ ）.
3. By “This couldn't be further from the truth” (Line 1, Para. 3), the author means he thinks （ ）.
4. What do we learn about the author's joy for his job?
5. What suggestion does the author make at the end of the passage?
