210710 What I learned in my studies this morning

Work is what we do

So we can do other things

We like to do more.

Daily Stoic:

Love what you do.

Lots of people misunderstand this idea. They think it means that they have to find a way to make a living wherever their passion lies. What a recipe for disaster.

Do you know how many people are (a) talented enough in a field that (b) pays well enough and are (c) lucky enough to find a universal confluence which allows (a) and (b) to happen to them at the same time?

A big problem I have is that too many kids think that if they don't achieve this (nearly impossible) dream, then they must be a failure.

Bullshit.

One person in a thousand gets this lucky. The rest of us need accept that we didn't win the job lottery and must somehow live a satisfying and worthy life despite it.

Better to find a way to be good at what you do, to find a way to love what you are doing, than to try and find something you excel at and you love . . . that isn't hiring . . . or paying.

Some pieces of advice I heard long ago when dealing with finding a career:

— it's a job, not a jail

— find something that pays enough that you can be comfortable and afford to pursue your hobbies

I've used these adages to adjust my attitude as I worked my way through the world of employment.

I didn't plan to end up where I am. I never once considered my current field as a career path. I found something I was naturally good at that I didn't hate.

Since then, I've become very good at what I do and, now, I enjoy it. I am comfortable. My family is well taken care of. I am financially stable.

Had I listened to the high school inspirational posters and "followed my passion," I'd have ended up pursuing a career which would have been much harder to break into and to be established enough to reach this same level. Plus it would have taken more time to reach this financial stage and life would have been tougher until then.

And all that is assuming I could have found a job in that field in the first place.

Look: work is work. If it were fun, it wouldn't be called work.

This is what I tell young people about finding a career:

1. Try lots of things. Explore. Do everything. Get at least some experience in a broad range of activities.

2. You will find things in step 1 that you can do well. Pick one of those things that pays the bills and either (i) already pays enough to satisfy your needs and wants or (ii) has a path to hit that mark. At this point, so long as it doesn't disgust you, it's fine.

3. Learn to be better at doing that thing and at being a good coworker. Become a pro. Become an all-star. Become the "go to guy / girl" that people want to work with because they can count on you to deliver great work. If they get to choose, they pick you first.

4. Learn to love your skill and craft. This is internal. It's about personal pride in a job well done, not about loving the job. This will allow you to find satisfaction in what you are doing.

5. Do the work. Get paid. Find your worth elsewhere. Maybe you find it in a family. Maybe you find it in friends. Maybe you find it in a hobby or avocation.

Five is the crux of the matter. While it is possible that 5 and 2 are the same, this is the exception that proves the rule.

For most of us, this process is a much more likely, and much easier, prospect than finding the unicorn career that matches 5 and 2 together.

If you can do 5 and 2 together, more power to you. The rest of us will just have to find value in our lives outside of the office.

Today's Meditation: