How would a Buddhist approach work one doesn't like to do?

[ravkes]

I'm currently a senior in college, I'm taking classes that I'm not interested in and I want to drop out because I have no motivation to learn.
How would a Buddhist approach dealing with work and motivation.. whether it be waking up to work a job that you dislike, waking up to take classes that you dislike.. etc.
It seems like the majority of folks don't do what they like to do on a daily basis and have miserable lives because of it.
How would the Buddha remedy this type of suffering of desire, wants, likes and dislikes?
Could it be that the things we do have no quality in and of themselves? And we just attach the quality onto it and suffer because of it, in some sort of deluded way? Is it really all in our mind? Could the answer lie in 'how' we approach external situations and not really 'what' the situation is?

Thank you so much for your time.

[Ben]

Liking or disliking is irrelevant.

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[Hanzze]

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[Phra Chuntawongso]

Hi Ravkes.First up I would not rush into dropping out.It can be hard enough getting a job these days with a degree.Damn near impossible without one.
I have had jobs that I don't really like.This has largely been because I have never had a full time job due to my not LIKING winter and so heading for sunny climates when the temperature would start to drop back home.Onlt wanting to work 4-5 months of the year meant that I could not be picky about work,so I just got on with it and remembered what my end goal was.For some time I worked in Britain as a harvest supervisor and it was not unusual for me to work 12-14 hours per day,6-7 days per week.When ever I started to feel about this I would calculate how much money I had earned that day,convert it into Thai baht and dream of all I could do there with just one 1 days earnings.
People could never understand why I was always smiling.One boss suggested that I had a party going on in my head.He was close.
Good luck.

[ravkes]

They really are irrelevant, more created concepts.
Yes Nan, thanks for that insight. No impulsive decision-making here, learned a bit over the years I suppose.. lol
That's very true, the job market is horrendous. Getting a college degree would be useful.
HAHAHA.. that's pretty awesome!! Maybe I should be one of those Alaskan fisherman, work my butt off for the season and then live in Thailand for the rest of the year. Very good life choices my good man, now you're thinking on my terms.

Hanz, opinions hold no bearing when there fundamentally aren't any divisions.

Thank you!

[Hanzze]

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[ravkes]

Yep. Every mental concept, idea, opinion. All thinking is conditioned. Useful, but conditioned. No way to explain life in words.

[Dan74]

What would you rather do?

[Hanzze]

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[ravkes]

Honestly Dan, I'm not too sure.. I've considered taking nursing courses for a semester at a community college. Perhaps take a leave of absence next semester and try it out.

Yes Hanz, I studied for my Statistics test today and was able to focus because I didn't pay any mind to the thoughts that exclaimed.. 'this is dumb, i hate this, i can't do this, I'm horrible at math'.. but I did it and I did fine on the test. In fact, oddly enough there was an interest in the patterns of mathematics as I stopped relating to it as equations I need to memorize but as an extension of philosophical thought in numerical form.

[Hanzze]

_/\_

[Dan74]

Honestly Dan, I'm not too sure.. I've considered taking nursing courses for a semester at a community college. Perhaps take a leave of absence next semester and try it out.

Yes Hanz, I studied for my Statistics test today and was able to focus because I didn't pay any mind to the thoughts that exclaimed.. 'this is dumb, i hate this, i can't do this, I'm horrible at math'.. but I did it and I did fine on the test. In fact, oddly enough there was an interest in the patterns of mathematics as I stopped relating to it as equations I need to memorize but as an extension of philosophical thought in numerical form.

(I teach stats at a university )

Mind you i also hated stats as a student and like with a lot of aversion, it may well be that we'd rather be doing something else, but we build so much on this that it becomes 100fold worse than it is.

How much of what we do is truly enjoyable? And how much of what is a drag could actually be fun if our minds were open to that possibility?

On the other hand, doing nursing may be a great idea. But while doing this other stuff, best to simply do it (as per Ben's cliche!)

[ravkes]

I think if our minds are open to whatever, without judgment, the right path will manifest.

Anything we attach the words 'like, love, enjoy' to.. are that which we find 'enjoyment' in.. but this begs us to ask the question: How is it possible that a certain person likes something and another doesn't? Thus, the object, field of study, person etc. itself doesn't have any inherent meaning in and of itself. So it's rather in how we approach the situation, and approaching the situation sanely means mindfully. The funniest thing also happens when one is mindful, by naturally allowing things to occur.. peace occurs.. lasting enjoyment occurs. Undefined enjoyment..

I'm feeling rushed, as if I need to know what I'm going to do for the rest of my life NOW. As if that's realistic..
The best option for me now is patience.

It's been fun sharing!