This is Day 17 of the Positive 100, a countdown to Rare Disease Day 2014 and an exercise in being positive despite it all.

Sure, work can be simply a means to an end. A paycheck. Hours filled. We can use it as a yardstick to measure our success in life or to assign value to our contributions to society or our families. I propose that work is none of that. I propose that good work is an art form. And art saves lives.

It’s a radical thought, isn’t it? That your work can be an art form. A way to be a creator. Sure, in my field, it isn’t as big of a stretch, although to call a designer an artist could be taken as an insult, but that isn’t where I am going with this.

Maybe it is more of a craft. Something that I work at improving every day. I am working away at becoming better. Using my skills to impact others – not as profoundly as a doctor, but still making an impact. I can help clients improve their ROI by creating more usable websites. Or maybe I can help them connect with their audience by making their content more accessible.

And when my work matters, I matter. When I matter, things are better.

This head of mine gets to be an ugly place on the days I let the CRPS get to my head. When I let it start playing games with my perception of how things are going. Working helps me find my way out of that dark place before I have to call for help from my family and friends.

It doesn’t matter if your work is being a mom, running a Fortune 500 company, doing life saving cancer research or simply working on getting up in the morning. When you work on something, you are creating a thing that matters. That thing that matters is your art. And it is a positive force in your life.

Share the positivity on Twitter, Instagram and Google+ with the hashtag #100positivedays. Also, you can sign up to be emailed a recap each week of the challenge.