Generating Interest

"Do you see a man that excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men." - Proverbs 22:29

How does one create an interest in something that one is not interested in?

This is the issue confronting me as I grapple with the reality that more than likely for the next 16-20 years - indeed, for the rest of my working life - I will be doing what I am doing now. The rather unhappy open secret is that I am not all that interested in what I am doing.

But interest precedes excellence - we cannot truly excel in something that we are not at some level interested in. And to excel - or at least to do everything else that I want to do - I need that excellence.

I have tried to convince myself that this is a life and death requirement, that this is my career - but what I generate is a sigh and endurance, not interest. I have tried to expose myself to industry readings - but again, the more I read the less I really seem to get excited.

There are, I suppose, exciting parts to my industry - the difficulty is that I am doing none of those things and not likely to become involved in them. Instead I plod through the daily grind of getting things done - hardly the cutting edge of anything.

Or perhaps I am once again misapplying the verse: the verse does not say "Do you see a man who is interested in and excels in his work", only "who excels".

So perhaps another illusion is indicated to me: I have thought I had to - perhaps, that I even deserved to - be interested in what I do. The reality perhaps is that interest is not required to excel - only diligence and getting things done. The interest, if it comes at all, is really more a frosting on the top of the cake rather than the cake itself.