It is a story, apparently a true one (or at least based on the man) of the English Architect and builder of cathedrals, Christopher Wren.
He was much in demand to build cathedrals by various churches and governments, so he was under a lot of pressure, deadlines to meet, workforces to manage, materials to procure, etc. (I am completely making this dialogue up, but it is based on the story of the three bricklayers. I originally thought this was a French architect building cathedrals at the end of the Dark Ages and the beginning of the Enlightenment, but I can no longer find that reference, but in writing this version, I hope I get the point across...:)
He was stressed out and unhappy in his work, and in his comings and goings, he notices the stolid workmanlike attitude of many of the workers, even the more skilled and highly paid artisans, who seemed at best, determined to get their work done.
But he noticed one man, who always had a cheerful countenance, and went about his low-skill, low paying job while humming to himself as he swept the dust and stone chips from the work area the stone-cutters worked in.
As miserable and stressed out as he felt by the demands of his own job, he was positively baffled by this man who had every reason to be even more miserable than he was, but yet, seemed happy and content to perform his mundane job. He walked over to the man and said:
"I notice you here each day, performing this cheerless task of sweeping up stone chips. You barely make enough money to feed and clothe your family, yet you perform this thankless but necessary task with aplomb and good attitude. How do you maintain your positive outlook?"
The Sweeper replied:
"How could I not be happy in my work? I am not just sweeping up dust and stone chips, I am helping to build a great cathedral to God!"
I have worked in healthcare since I got out of college first in direct patient care, but after a decade or so of that, my duties have been abstracted, and for the last 30 years of my career, I have worked in Medical Informatics, an often stressful, and time consuming job that has compelled me to work nights, weekends, and holidays.
I have done my job with the constant knowledge that poorly built systems, poorly maintained systems or workflows I have designed might contain holes and pits where vital information can get lost, is my responsibility, and someone can lose their health or their life because of my lack of attention or dedication to the job.
In the Navy, as a jet mechanic, I felt that exact same sense of fear and overbearing responsibility every single time I worked on or around a plane. If I didn't do my job, someone's husband, father, or son could die due to my lack of thoroughness.
So, then, and now, I am often anxious, stressed out and fearful that a lack of vigilance or thought on my part can kill or maim a patient. I understand the stress of the Cathedral Architect to a degree, because like him, I am employed by people who depend on me and I must strive for excellence, always.
But what has maintained me in all these years, is the knowledge that even though I am immersed in the building, maintenance, and troubleshooting of servers, databases, security, workflows, documentation and so on, underlying it all, is that in my job, I am helping people. I am not just a computer geek, doing the 21st Century equivalent of sweeping up dust and stone chips, I am working towards maintaining the health and saving the lives of people whose health is in peril. And I stay close to it.
The most rewarding part of my day is often, going from point A to point B in a large hospital, seeing patients looking around in confusion, seeing the stress on their faces (their health may be endangered, or they may simply be late for an appointment and are fearful of missing it or inconveniencing the people whose appointments they may delay because THEY were late in arriving) and taking the time to spot them. I get immense satisfaction and direct, earnest feedback from them when I approach, ask them where they are going, and help them get there, providing them with directions, or if they don't know what or where they are going, taking them to someone who can find that out for them and help them.
When the stress is lifted from their often weary, hurt, and confused faces, I get a thrill of personal satisfaction. In a simple walk to a restroom, I may encounter three or four patients in exactly that situation. Nothing is worse to many people than having somewhere to be at a given time, and not being able to get there. Believe it or not, most people still have that earnest desire not to be the sand in the cog that inconveniences others.
And I get that exact same reward from helping one of my healthcare associates who cannot do their work, and I provide what the need to resume their job and do it well, and I keep in mind that fixing the issues of those people who work with and for me moves the needle further towards restoring the health of someone's mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, or friend.
I am going to miss work, since I must soon retire. But by God, I still enjoy every single day of it, and when the troubles of my job make me curse or feel stress, I remember what it is that I am doing. And it has never, ever, ever been about the money. Ever. As I did my job, I was rewarded with money. And I feel blessed, because I know that isn't the case for everyone. But, it is for me.
In summary, you have to find ways to make your own rewards, and money will rarely do that. To be happy, you must find those rewards, in the context of greater things, and strive to keep them in your mind.
For my part, I am, and have been my entire career, that Stone Cutter working towards building a Cathedral to the Glory of God.