I seem to be attracting people who LOVE what they’re doing.

Like Tony who came to tile the downstairs loo last week. No-nonsense, efficient and effective, he did a superb job. Fitting kitchens and bathrooms are not Tony’s big love though. His passion is diving and underwater filming. He has the most amazing footage on YouTube at TXLunderwatervideo.

For years now he has been working in the UK for six months fitting kitchens and bathrooms; then go off to the Philippines to do the thing he loves best. It was such a pleasure to watch his face light up, his eyes dancing and hear the song in his voice as he talked about his upcoming trip, the plans he has in place already, the contacts he is making, the work he has been commissioned to do for Philippines tourism.

Then there is Leila.

Leila is a designer who is fascinated by the effects of space and the environment on the psyche. She was telling me how a friend decorated a very small dining room in rich dark reds, making it appear even smaller. Yet at a dinner party, people cosily leaned in towards each other and the conversation naturally deepened and became more intimate in the perceived safety of that cosy space.

I was almost more interested in watching her as she told me about this and other such examples, face aglow, eyes sparkling and delight all over her features.

At Toastmasters Simon talked about the job he now enjoys more than ever because the financial need to keep it is gone. He said it with such relish, amazing himself at how much more he is enjoying the freedom of just focusing on the doing the job without the pressure of keeping it lest it meant hardship for him and his family. His face was a picture as his eyes lit up and a huge smile spread from ear to ear.

And Martin, the animatronics engineer. I called him one day …’I am in Copenhagen. The museum is opening a new exhibition on Monday and T-Rex is in trouble. He has problems with a leg and lost his voice.’ It turns out T-Rex is a museum piece, a dinosaur with moving parts that needed fixing so it would be in working order for the upcoming exhibition.

It is wonderful to talk to people like this who LOVE what they do. You feel so good when you’ve spent time with them. They spread their joy wherever they go; they can’t help it. It’s like leaving a bit of fairy dust in their wake. They probably don’t even know the impact they have on those around them.

Would it not be lovely if more of us can find the thing we love to do? The thing you never tire of; the thing that energises and animates you and draws people to you like bees to a pot of honey?

Have you found your thing? Keep looking! Keep looking! Make sure you do some of it some of the time; even if you cannot do it all of the time.

And if you HAVE found it, let me know what it is; I would love to talk to you!

Photo Credit: Stephanie Berghaeuser