“To love what you do and feel that it matters — how could anything be more fun?” Katherine Graham
Who tells us about this when we start in our first job or make decisions about what to do in life? If your experience is like mine, no one did. So do we end up in the perfect job or are we a square peg in a round hole, forever sub-clinically depressed? It’s pot-luck!
Matching the true you, your values and your talents to your role is the challenge. And it need not require you to do a runner and disappear into the jungle for 5 years. Not necessary – nothing so dramatic! It’s about a correlation between you, your values and where you’ve ended up. Sometimes it will be about a change of business; sometimes a change of role in a larger organization and sometimes a complete shift to something very, very different. And sometimes, you will be already, just perfect where you are.
I have been lucky in this regard. After college, I spent 10 years out in the business world doing work which provided no pleasure or satisfaction. Then I stopped, went back to school and became what I wanted to be since I was a little boy, a lawyer. People thought I was crazy going back to school at age 30 and going $50,000.00 in debt in the process. 25 years later, I can honestly say that not a day has gone by that I have not enjoyed what I do.
Do what you naturally enjoy the most! It is worth the effort and whatever price you end up paying!
