Quotes and Wisdom
from the Top of the Mind™
from the Top of the Mind™
Career
"In choosing what to do next, don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that. For what the world needs are more people who have come alive."
This quote was given to me by a friend, and when I first heard it, I knew immediately that it would be in the next installment of "Quotes and Comments for Life!" I have chosen this quote for several reasons. First, of course, is the concept of making choices about one's career and or vocation based upon this very purposeful criteria. I have long been an advocate of "doing what you love" as a way to make both a living and a life, however, I also recognize how there is a strong tendency among many to, instead, do what we think "needs to be done" or what we "should" do. So many of the people I encounter on a daily basis seem to be following this philosophy of doing what "needs to be done" and checking these things off their list so that they might then have time to do something that they enjoy. Unfortunately, what many find is that the list never ends, and so they spend their life taking care of the "shoulds" and the "obligations" and, thus, never get to the things that bring them joy. When this is applied to one's career, the result could be a life of "shoulds" with the hope that one day they can "retire" and do what they love. Unfortunately, this plan is often thwarted by unexpected illness, lack of funds, or just an awareness that starting living and "retirement" (or just stopping work) are not the same thing, which is reflected in the sad statistic that many people die with in three to five years of their retirement.
So, what's the solution and how can this quote from Harold Whitman help us in making different choices? Well, I suggest that we begin to make choices about who we are and what we do from a different perspective. Rather than asking what does the world need (or the more familiar question of what needs to be done?) we could ask a question based less on the completion of a task, and more around the quality of a life. We could focus on what makes us come alive, and allow this focus to guide our choices and decisions around what to do next.
Now, some might be concerned with this philosophy because they fear that if people just went around doing what makes them happy and "feel alive" then nothing would get done. I'm going to suggest that there is both truth and non-truth in this concern. Certainly some things might not get done. If we used joy and what we love as a criteria, then there would certainly be some things (those things that clearly do not bring joy and aliveness) that would be left undone. Chances are there would be arguments that would go unattended, for arguing with another rarely brings one joy. Acts of revenge might be left incomplete for the same reason. We might find ourselves making different choices about stealing, adultery, abuse, resentment, etc., if we used the criteria of joy and "aliveness" as a guide for our behavior.
On the other hand, it is possible that other things might receive more of our attention. We might pay more attention to our love for children and their ability to bring joy and aliveness to the lives of any who choose to join them. In fact, we might express more love to people, in general, because in doing this, we are likely to feel more alive. And, yes, we might even look at making a living (and, thus, a life) by doing what brings aliveness and joy to our hearts. And in following this path, we might actually discover what we are truly "good" at, and bring all of our talents and energy to this profession. Further, given that when people are doing what they love, they generally do it very well, we might inspire others to want to hire us to bring our aliveness (in the form of some service or product) into their lives. Also, because they value how they feel more alive when they are working with us, they might want to pay us well for this contribution.
Applied to aspects of life other than occupation (and specifically to the seasonal celebrations so much in our thoughts from November through the end of the year), this philosophy of choosing aliveness as a guide might help us in deciding who we want to be, and how we want to "show up" with respect to our behaviors and roles with our family and friends. If, in the past we have been "doing," or making choices out of obligation and what the world or those around us "need" (which, of course, often leads to resentment when they do not acknowledge and/or appreciate our efforts), maybe this year we could make different choices based upon our "coming alive" and bringing this aliveness to the celebration. Then, if we are loved and appreciated for this gift, we will have shared our aliveness with those we love, and if not, we can either just be happy in the experience of coming alive, or find a group of people who do appreciate the gifts that an "alive" person brings.
Either way, we will have begun to make decisions based not on just the accomplishment of tasks, but the experience of aliveness. As we are willing to continue to use this criteria as a guide, we will have become someone who not only gets things done, but comes alive in the process. And then, just like "GE," we will be the ones who "bring good things to life.
So, what's the solution and how can this quote from Harold Whitman help us in making different choices? Well, I suggest that we begin to make choices about who we are and what we do from a different perspective. Rather than asking what does the world need (or the more familiar question of what needs to be done?) we could ask a question based less on the completion of a task, and more around the quality of a life. We could focus on what makes us come alive, and allow this focus to guide our choices and decisions around what to do next.
Now, some might be concerned with this philosophy because they fear that if people just went around doing what makes them happy and "feel alive" then nothing would get done. I'm going to suggest that there is both truth and non-truth in this concern. Certainly some things might not get done. If we used joy and what we love as a criteria, then there would certainly be some things (those things that clearly do not bring joy and aliveness) that would be left undone. Chances are there would be arguments that would go unattended, for arguing with another rarely brings one joy. Acts of revenge might be left incomplete for the same reason. We might find ourselves making different choices about stealing, adultery, abuse, resentment, etc., if we used the criteria of joy and "aliveness" as a guide for our behavior.
On the other hand, it is possible that other things might receive more of our attention. We might pay more attention to our love for children and their ability to bring joy and aliveness to the lives of any who choose to join them. In fact, we might express more love to people, in general, because in doing this, we are likely to feel more alive. And, yes, we might even look at making a living (and, thus, a life) by doing what brings aliveness and joy to our hearts. And in following this path, we might actually discover what we are truly "good" at, and bring all of our talents and energy to this profession. Further, given that when people are doing what they love, they generally do it very well, we might inspire others to want to hire us to bring our aliveness (in the form of some service or product) into their lives. Also, because they value how they feel more alive when they are working with us, they might want to pay us well for this contribution.
Applied to aspects of life other than occupation (and specifically to the seasonal celebrations so much in our thoughts from November through the end of the year), this philosophy of choosing aliveness as a guide might help us in deciding who we want to be, and how we want to "show up" with respect to our behaviors and roles with our family and friends. If, in the past we have been "doing," or making choices out of obligation and what the world or those around us "need" (which, of course, often leads to resentment when they do not acknowledge and/or appreciate our efforts), maybe this year we could make different choices based upon our "coming alive" and bringing this aliveness to the celebration. Then, if we are loved and appreciated for this gift, we will have shared our aliveness with those we love, and if not, we can either just be happy in the experience of coming alive, or find a group of people who do appreciate the gifts that an "alive" person brings.
Either way, we will have begun to make decisions based not on just the accomplishment of tasks, but the experience of aliveness. As we are willing to continue to use this criteria as a guide, we will have become someone who not only gets things done, but comes alive in the process. And then, just like "GE," we will be the ones who "bring good things to life.
Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill