What Would I Do?

I wish more of us shared the passion for work like Dr. Stewart does. Life would be so much more enjoyable and have a LOT more meaning.

What Would I Do?

“Everything’s perfect,” Dr. Stewart said.

Dr. William Stewart is my wife’s doctor. She asked me to come along for her routine checkup. She feels better when I go with her. Dr. Stewart has been my wife’s doctor during the years that we have been married.

I looked at Dr. Stewart. He was vibrant; his skin was as smooth as a baby’s and his face radiant. Dr. Stewart actually looked younger than he did years ago. One of his sons is a doctor in the same specialty as his father.

“When are you going to retire?” my wife asked in conversation.

“I’m not going to retire,” Dr. Stewart promptly answered without even stopping to think about it.

“What would I do?” he added. “I’ve bought and sold several boats, I don’t want another one. I don’t want a house in the mountains. I have more patients now than I did when I was younger. I have everything that I want now. What would I do if I retired?”

After dealing with many in both business and ministry, I have become more sensitive to real reasons, the underlying motivation behind the statements. I understood what he was saying. I could feel his spirit in that simple question.

“What would I do?”

Most people dread going to work. Dr. Stewart cherishes it.

Most look forward to being able to do nothing. Dr. Stewart looks forward to another day helping patients.

Most look at the clock counting the minutes until quitting time. Dr. Stewart wishes there were more hours in the day.

Being a doctor is not a breeze. Doctors have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. It is strenuous and demanding. Doctors also have one of the highest rates of personal satisfaction of any profession; it just depends on the doctor.

Joy always depends much more on the person than the profession.

Dr. Stewart is happily married with four successful children; work is not an escape, it is a passion. There is a big difference.

Passion helps keep you young, in both mind and body. It usually shows on the outside when you have passion on the inside about something good.

To be able to do something each day that you are passionate about is a blessing beyond price.

It is like being paid to play.

The average person spends more time involved with work than anything else. Adding the time at work, getting ready for work, and getting to and from work, we average 12 hours a day. With eight hours of sleep, we spend 75% of our waking hours for work.

What a blessing to WANT to work, even if you didn’t have to.

Imagine getting up each morning with an enthusiasm to get to work. Imagine an enthusiasm to get home to your family.

At work and at home, you are fulfilled and have no desire to retire from or change either.

So fulfilled that you couldn’t imagine wanting anything else.

Imagine that.

For more inspiring stories like this, visit mountainwings.com.