“Ask yourself if you would do what you do for free, if you had the ‘physical means’ to do so? If the answer is no, ask yourself why you are doing what you do?” (Source: http://www.nickaskew.com)
Wouldn’t it be nice if you are able to do work that you’re really passionate about? Would it feel awesome to get your paycheck and wonder how you could possibly get paid just doing what you absolutely love to do?
The search for meaning runs deep in human psyche as Viktor Frankl proves in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning”. This is one of my all-time favourite books since college. I guess I have always been a searcher myself, thus, it resonated with me even earlier on. What is surprising is a finding that came out of a research in 2011, indicating that today’s young adults, or what we refer to as millenials, are actually looking for a sense of meaning in a successful career more than anything else.
What is ironic is that, as the world of work has evolved into a flurry of organizational formation and transformation, in search of agility and sheer survival in the global market, the level of employee engagement has started to diminish. “At present, only 13% of employees in the 142 countries studied can be considered engaged.” This is based on the most recent Gallup report on the State of the Global Workforce.
Taking the Risk
Richard Branson recently wrote about How to Find a Fulfilling Career where he talks about how fear can be in the way of you finding the job that you really love. He also shared a few pointers on how to find your dream role. I agree with everything he said, except that he is Richard Branson and he himself is an exception. Yes, he works in an island he incidentally owns, wearing his bathing suit and lying in a swing by the beach while working remotely and virtually. Who wouldn’t want a job like that? You’d take that any day if you could afford it, right?
Living an ordinary life in an ordinary world, how can you find the job that you really want?
Manny Granillo, 59 years old, finally landed a job as a Massage Therapist at Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona after a few years struggling as a waiter and studying at night. He worked in a mine but lost his job, which ended up as a blessing in disguise. He wouldn’t have got the chance, otherwise, to do the work that he really wanted to do – massage therapy. Tsufit, the author of the book, Step Into the Spotlight, was a litigation lawyer before she became an actress. Of course, J.K. Rowlings was quite ordinary as an unemployed single parent before Harry Potter became her bread and butter.
There are many stories of career transitions that are worthy of respect and admiration but we have always dismissed them as stories that we read in the news or sad stories of some neighbors that, in some instances, turned out to be Cinderella stories in the end. Like some people I know who lost their jobs in the recession and started building their own practice because they have no other choice. There is no room for fear for them because they were already in the fear zone. People don’t identify with them. Why? Because rarely would people dare. They wouldn’t want to take the risk.
“ When most people think about taking a risk they associate it with negative connotations, when really they should view it as a positive opportunity. Believe in yourself and back yourself to come out on top. Whether that means studying a course to enable a change of direction, taking up an entry level position on a career ladder you want to be a part of, or starting your own business – you’ll never know if you don’t give it a try.” – Richard Branson
