I am pretty sure that everyone has had to take guidance in high school. Remember the counsellor telling you to pursue a career in a particular field that you are interested in, or one that suits your interests? If you were like me - or every other 17-year-old - you told the counsellor that you were interested in the highest paying gig, compatibility be damned.
There’s nothing worse than ignoring sound advice to find out years later that the person was right the entire time. Given my age and the age of my circle of friends, this is the time when people reflect on what they do, or where they are and where they are going. Whether they went into finance, construction, law enforcement or skateboard technician, there seems to be a time when the dust settles on our job choice satisfaction.
Doing the same thing everyday is difficult. There are many out there doing the same thing day after day when they don’t like what they are doing. You may be reading this right now.
When you choose a career based solely on economics, the level of passion is almost non-existent and most people come nowhere near the top of their profession because they don’t LOVE doing it.
Likewise when people choose a career (or the career chooses them) because it is the easier route to take, then the passion may be more difficult to find. Not always, but typically.
I really like what I do, but as a 16-year veteran of the real estate trenches there are times when I find myself doing the same thing as yesterday. To be honest, most of my industry is based on developing positive, day-to-day habits. You find out what works and you repeat the habit the following day, not all that different than someone who spends a life on an assembly line.
I have found though, that adding challenging or exciting changes to my daily “to do” list keeps my passion up and my juices flowing. For me, the challenge is the key. For those who are not completely satisfied with their jobs, or who are pondering a change in career, try altering your workload or rearrange your work day a bit. Perhaps happiness can be found prior to a drastic change.
Step outside of your ‘comfortable zone’.
(True story – as I write this, Pink Floyd’s "Comfortably Numb" just came on the radio… Woah!)
I wish Mr. Counsellor (our ironically named Guidance Counsellor) would have pressed much harder with us that it's passion that drives anyone to great heights, not money. If you ‘like’ your job, your performance will likely be limited to good. Once that like becomes love, then and only then will good become great.
And I’m very happy to report that I love my job!
As always, thank-you for visiting.
Jim c/o THEbTEAM
Cheers to Ben White for the stylish' photo.