A Challenge for my Reader(s)

"Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life."
Attributed to Confucius, there's some logic to this sound bite, though
I don't fully subscribe to it.

I was chatting last week with an old friend, recently retired from a
high profile politically-appointed position with our state government.
We were discussing what his life was like after being an agency
Commissioner. He said that when he left the Commission, he didn't know what he was going to do with himself.

To answer this question, he called another former commissioner and
asked their advice. The suggestion he received was simple and to the point. It's a good suggestion even for those of us who have good jobs but feel like we're missing out on something.

He was told to "make a list of five things you would you be willing to do for free. Now, go find someone willing to pay you to do some or all of them."

My friend rattled off a list of things he enjoyed doing, and then described how he'd managed to create a consulting business that leveraged his personal strengths and professional experience.

I first tried this exercise when I read the book What Should I Do With My Life by Po Bronson and the Dalai Lama's book The Art of Happiness. My earlier attempts at this exercise weren't completely successful, primarily because a) what I'd be willing to do for free changes over time and b) I always skew the results to support whatever leisure activity I'm fixated on at the moment. However, the list my friend put together contained more personal characteristics (like "helping people develop consensus"). When I've done this exercise before, I've rejected anything related to my current career path. So with this new information, I'm rethinking my approach to this question.


So here's your challenge. In the "snide comments" section, share your list of "things you'd be willing to do for free." You may omit those things which would lead to employment as a porn "actor/actress," rock star, or taste tester. In other words, those things that we'd ALL include in our lists.

Update 9 Aug 2007 6:17pm:
When coming up with your list, assume that you don't have to worry about money. Just ignore that practical side -- you're looking for what you love.

Joy for Some, Irony for Me

Guess what I got in the mail on Friday? The official notification that my application for admission as a senior to our local university was accepted. I've seen the joy that many high school graduates feel when they get that letter. It means they've got a chance to be something. I didn't get that feeling.

I was really lucky when I graduated from high school. Thanks to my academics and test scores, I would have been accepted to almost any college I applied for. In retrospect, I don't think I picked the right school, but who's to say what's "right?" Maybe I went where I needed to be. Still, I can't shake the feeling that I wasn't aiming high enough when I picked schools. But I digress.

Once again, my acceptance to this university was a foregone conclusion -- I already knew what the answer was going to be because I met the criteria for "automatic" acceptance: A baccalaureate degree from an approved college. As lagniappe, I even had a graduate degree.

But think of the kids whose high school grades and test scores aren't as high as mine were. Those kids for whom the letter I received represents a chance to break the chains of ignorance and poverty and join the ranks of the educated. It embodies the promise of an education that will expose them to the larger picture and enable them to more fully understand the beautiful complexity of the world.

I do know the feeling of waiting for such a letter. I remember the protracted, edge-of-my-seat panic I endured after I applied to many graduate schools. My acceptance was anything but guaranteed -- it was a long shot. My undergraduate performance was lackluster, and thanks to ignorance and apathy my score on the standardized admissions tests I took were barely acceptable. I was absolutely terrified that I wouldn't be accepted, because I had a college degree that made me uniquely qualified to read the newspaper, but little else. Back to the closet in the file room with you, buddy.

The irony here is that, absent some radical and sudden change in my situation, I'm not going to our local university or any other school. I'm as smart as I'm going to get. I had more than my fair share of luck, and still ended up in a job with no future -- a dead end. Despite my education, I'm not utilizing it. It's not that I can't do anything else, it's that I have no idea what I'd rather be doing. The education and experience I've accumulated has become a burden rather than the key to a brighter future.

Well, this post got happy fast, didn't it? I'll shut it down before I make myself any giddier.

My Inner Troll

Good News!

I think I've got my inner troll tranquilized. Nothing wakes him up like Mondays, though (it's Sunday as I write this), so I don't want to make any firm commitments until then. To any of you reading this that have had to put up with my BS in person, I apologize for inflicting my bad attitude upon you.

Just remember, "If nothing changes, nothing changes." My motivation for haunting the "fitness center" had faded dramatically during the period of my infirmity, and the last two sessions I was really pumping bad vibes at Mistress Amber, who has been helping me get fitter. In penance, I have increased my efforts to be diligent in following her suggestions (even when she's not around) so that she can get some satisfaction in seeing me improve.

My vacation & money budget for 2007 is pretty much spent, and the outlook for 2008 is very much up in the air right now, as some of you know. My dive shop recently started teaching more NAUI courses than PADI courses, and I'm particularly interested in taking the NAUI divemaster class. That is the first in the series of "professional" level courses, and it would qualify me to conduct "Discover SCUBA" sessions, assist in instruction, and lead dive trips. It carries with it a lot more responsibility, but the training I'd receive would be extremely valuable (and very enjoyable). However, I'm already working and studying a bunch of other stuff and I don't really have time to spend on it, so it's one of those "if only. . . ." goals I'll try and achieve some day.

My final note for the day: I have decided to limit my use of the word "douchebag" to refer to politicians. I know you were concerned about this.

A little better, but not quite there

I'm away from home base (and the state, thank God), so my attitude is improving a little. See the relaxed expression on my face?

It looks like I won't lose my leg. Too bad: I was kinda hoping for a pegleg for the boats. :(

I wish you guys would enter snide remarks.

Discretion, Not Neglect

I apologize for not posting in a while (and for the upcoming silence). My attitude has been horrible lately, for a variety of reasons, and I thought it best to keep my mouth shut.

So I am.

I'll be back when I can keep a civil tongue in my head.