What are you doing with your life?

Many of my friends (and many Americans, for that matter) are in the process of searching for new jobs. Of course, I changed “career paths” last year when I left a television network to work for myself. I find that while many folks are looking for what to do, not as many know exactly what they’re looking for. What are you doing with your life? I mean, what are you really doing?

When I meet new people, “What do you do?” is usually among the first questions I am asked. I know lots of people have a go-to answer: I’m a lawyer, I work in real estate, I create the programming schedule for the Disney XD channel, I’m a stocker at Duane Reade, I manage a Starbucks, I’m unemployed. Sometimes I get jealous of the ease with which those answers flow. How would I answer it? I develop websites for some organizations, I maintain websites for others, I coordinate the social media strategy for a few, I write a personal blog, I spent three weeks in Michigan producing a documentary which I was not paid for, but I hope one day will reach a wide audience, change hearts and minds, and generate income along the way. In my spare time I toy around with designing t-shirts, I co-founded a non-profit….?

Then I remember: I know what I do, I found my thing: I tell stories and connect with people. That’s really what gets me going and what I look forward to. That’s even a part of why I love web development: I get to facilitate telling stories online and take the awesome work that my clients are doing (and all of my clients are doing awesome things!) and help spread the word even farther.

Looking for a job vs Pursuing a vocation

Many of the people I know who are looking for work are looking for new jobs; usually in similar fields, often even if similar positions, as what they have now or had recently. When I ask “What do you want to do?” the response is normally in the form of a job title. My mom is famous for refusing that answer from me: “But why?” What will that do for you?” “Where will that take you next?” “What will you gain from that?” My mom knows that I–and anyone else for that matter–will bring quality to a job, but that’s not enough. Just because we can do something and even do something well does not mean that we should or that it will be enough to fulfill us.

So whether you are looking for new work or steadily (and even happily) employed, ask yourself today: What am I doing with my life?

When you look back in five, ten, forty years, you will probably not say “I’m glad I put in those extra hours at the office in July 2010.” You might say I’m glad I took risks, or that I pursued my love of music, or that I spent quality time with friends and family, or that I traveled the world, or that I taught myself something new.

When you figure out what you’re doing with your life, then you can find jobs, careers, and vocations which will fulfill you and enable your success. Perhaps that’s working for yourself as a web designer, perhaps that’s working part-time at an auto repair shop, perhaps that’s working as a corporate executive. I don’t know, but you will. And that’s what matters.

Cheers!
Brian

Photo by Kopfjäger