What is work? For some people, work is hitting a golf ball. For others, that is considered play. For some people, work is flying an aeroplane. For others, flying is playing. For some people, work is writing. For others, writing is considered a hobby.
The difference between work and recreation is not in the activity itself. The difference is in who benefits from the activity. When you are working, the assumption is that you are being compensated in some fashion for your activity. And that compensation comes from the value that you create for other people.
Work is wealth creation, and it can take many forms. We used to think of work as pure physical toil. That is an outdated perception. In fact, as machines take over much of the routine, repetitive work, the work of humans must become more creative in nature. It used to be that the majority of society or an enterprise would toil at physical tasks, and only an elite few would be free to think, create, and innovate.
Now, however, it is incumbent upon just about everyone to be creative and innovative in his or her work. This is the concept of empowerment, and it is being used in the most successful of organizations. When people are empowered with more responsibility, they produce more value.
This works on any level. The formula is simple. If you want to create wealth, you must find a way to provide value to others. There are no limitations on what this can be. The more value you provide, and the more people you provide it to, the more wealth you will create.
