This phrase comes from William Cowper’s poem, “The Task” (1785): “Variety is the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.” When I hear this phrase I think of work life, relationships, daily schedules, and food. It applies to all aspects of our lives – to me, it means that little (or big) changes here and there are what make life interesting – it keeps you excited and motivated.
We are in the middle of a paradigm shift when it comes to our work life. Instead of working in an office for the same company for decades and then retiring. People are seeing the possibility of being their own boss and creating their own schedules. Nobody wants to work the 9-5 anymore. They prefer to work when they decide to work – even if that means more hours and working weekends – at least we are making our own schedule. We are in control of our own destiny. This is why coworking offices are popping up and more workers are independent contractors. We can now bring variety to our life. I work as a Realtor, but I am also able to be involved in my family’s business, run my own business, and volunteer in my community; and I manage to do it in the same 365 days that everyone else has. Variety is the spice of life – I work from home, coffee shops, my coworking office and my conference room, to brainstorm ideas with my various teams and clients.
Why have we wanted to work this new way? Because it inspires innovation. Just as you change your workout so you can surprise your body and make it work differently, target new muscles, you can surprise your mind and senses by continually having variety in your work.