My Definition of "Work"

The word work to me has been very commonly used all throughout my life and in my household. It is hard to have a one concrete definition of what work is, because coming from different backgrounds and perspectives, we all have a different idea of what work may encompass or the image it brings to mind. The way I was brought up in my family, work either school work such as homework or work work in terms of employment are given great emphasis and importance. To me it is a commitment and a responsibility that needs to be done to ones fullest potential and be satisfied with the end results, as it is a product and a reflection of your own labor and efforts. Theses associations I make with work, are definitely rooted in the way my parents ingrained in me the significance of work and how it would affect my own future. I think that this idea of work has affected me in positive ways throughout my life because I look at work in this way, I have been able to continue and strive to reach my educational and personal goals. Based on George Lakoffs article, I can definitely say that I associate work with labor, such as a factory and now that I am in college a notebook, pen, computer, and books. The idea of relating a factory to work has a lot to do with my childhood, as both my parents have worked in factories all their lives. When I think of work, I definitely have in mind the idea of staying away from factory related work because I have been told as a child that if I want to succeed, a factory job is not the right path. Based on my own definition and way of looking at work, I can honestly say that I think different cultures view work in different ways. We can all look at work in different ways because as I mentioned earlier we all come from different backgrounds and its but normal that we view things differently. I think that work can be viewed outside the image of a degraded factory job position. I do believe that I limit myself with my image or idea of work, and viewing work differently may more productive for me especially as a college student. Work is and will always be important to me, and beginning to look at it in a different manner may definitely help me as I reach my career goals.