What Should I Do for a Living?

(Excerpt from Jason C. Steinle’s book—Upload Experience: Quarterlife Solutions)

“It’s all just a big misunderstanding. I wasn’t trying to pass off the bill. That’s ridiculous,” Alice Pike told the police as they hauled her off to jail. Alice was arrested at a Wal Mart after trying to purchase $1,675 worth of items with a fake $1 million dollar bill. The clerk reported that she even wanted the change back! When asked from jail why she tried using the novelty bill, Alice replied, “You just can’t keep up with the US Treasury.”

Wouldn’t it be great if money were easy to acquire, if we could get something for nothing, and if a 50¢ novelty bill at the grocery store was really worth $1 million? Unfortunately that’s not the case. To earn money, most of us have to work. That’s a fact of life. What isn’t a fact of life is whether or not we will enjoy the work we choose.

You will spend a major part of your life working. Think about it: 40 hours a week, month after month, and year after year. This is why it’s so important to find a fulfilling vocation and not just another job.

“When I was a kid I remember my dad telling me. ‘Do something you like because you’re going to be working more than you’re not working,’” Charlie Daniels of the Charlie Daniels Band told me. Daniels knows what he is talking about. Since he started playing in a band back in 1959 he has topped both the rock and country music charts, toured the country, and written three books. Now 68 years old, he is still going strong. Last year he played over 160 gigs. That’s nearly one show every other day of the year!

Daniels discovered a career he enjoys, but is he the exception to the rule? Is it possible for the rest of us to find the perfect job, too?

“People think that there’s one right job out there for them. What I’ve experienced and helped others to see is that we have core strengths, core talents, and passions inside of us, but there is no perfect career,” job consultant Cynthia Ryk explained to me. “We live in a world where we have lots of choices, which means we have a variety of ways in which we can express those talents.”

As Ryk points out, it’s not about finding “the one” perfect job, instead it’s about moving in the direction of your interests and talents. Perhaps you can find a number of different jobs that will be equally fulfilling. The bottom line is that three hurdles keep you from discovering what you should do for a living.

The first hurdle is identifying your core strengths, talents, and passions. For help, I recommend reviewing the chapters: “Who Am I?”, “What Is My Purpose?”, and “Does Being a Responsible Adult Mean Life Becomes Boring and Monotonous?” The second hurdle arises when you are locked into the belief that there is only one job out there that will make you happy. Thus, you miss new career possibilities that present themselves. The third hurdle is that you’re simply afraid of pursing your dream career.

“I truly believe that everyone has a purpose and passion that lies within them, but there is a lot of fear around pursuing it,” Megan, a 27-year-old who left her successful massage therapy practice to pursue a degree in somatic psychology told me. “There is the risk of the world saying ‘tough shit’ to our dreams. It’s hard to continue when the world doesn’t seem very supportive, but I think that’s part of the process: being able to put it out there, and pursue what feels right, even though the world may not accept it.”

Megan voiced what few of us want to admit. The greatest obstacle in finding a perfect career is our fear of pursuing it. “What if I fail?” “What if they are right?” “What if I can’t support my family?” “What if I discover it’s not right for me after all?” These kinds of “what if” questions paralyze us. If we give in to them, they prevent us from pursuing our career dreams and we end up taking the secure road, the road of least risk.

As quarterlifers, we are a generation that has witnessed many of our parents fall prey to this fear. We have seen them ignore their passions and chase the golden carrot of job security. We have seen them commit to 30 years of misery, only to get laid off a year before receiving their retirement packages. Having witnessed this, we’ve promised ourselves not to follow in their footsteps. “Quality of life,” “job satisfaction,” “fulfillment,” and “meaning” have become our mantras. Our generation wants change, and we won’t tolerate lip service without action behind it.

For quarterlifers, the key to experiencing a high quality of life is to take baby steps and recognize that finding our career is a journey. We don’t have to get it right the first time. Rather, each step we take exposes the next step. Like Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, on occasion the next step may be a leap of faith, but we can trust that the bridge will appear.

Charlie Daniels knows this is true. When he first tried breaking into the music business he was one of thousands of other hopefuls. Daniels knew he had to take a leap of faith, as he explains, “I think a lot of the time people are afraid to cut the apron strings and make a commitment. That’s what it takes. It takes a commitment: ‘I’m going to do this. I believe in what I’m doing and who I am.’ You’ve got to start there. If you don’t make a commitment, it just isn’t going to happen for you.”

Daniels’ first leap was moving to Nashville to play backup guitar in a recording studio. After making this commitment, he soon found himself backing up Bob Dylan. Realizing this was the opportunity of a lifetime, Daniels seized it. “You’ve got to take advantage of a situation,” he told me. “That’s what happened with me. I was hungry. I was the guy that most wanted to be where I was at that time. Everybody was honored to be playing with Bob Dylan, but to a lot of the guys it was just another session. To me that was the day and I was cognizant of it.”

Bob Dylan was so impressed with Daniels’ guitar playing that he asked him to stay and record the rest of the album with him. This boost of confidence was one of the most significant events that propelled Daniels forward into pursuing his successful career.

Every job you have matters! It’s as simple as that. Daniels, Ryk, and Megan all know this. Unfortunately, many in our generation don’t seem to believe it. During street interviews for my television program, I commonly hear quarterlifers say, “It’s just a starter job. My first job doesn’t really matter.” They believe that it’s not until we reach our late 30s, 40s, and 50s that what we’re doing really counts. The danger in this belief is that we miss out on opportunities as they arise.

If Daniels had just been “serving time” at the recording studio, he would not have taken advantage of Dylan’s visit. Likewise, if you view your perfect career as something that will occur in 20 years, you will miss out on today’s opportunities. Instead, see your career as a process. Take advantage of today’s opportunities while moving forward towards tomorrow.

Let’s face it. The world is forgiving of youth. As quarterlifers, we can stumble, start over, and change our minds much easier than a 60-year-old man or woman. So there is no better time in our lives to take a leap of faith towards our dream careers.

Opportunity

The Grand Canyon didn’t develop as the result of a single event, and neither will your perfect job. They both are processes. The Grand Canyon has formed through years of continuous erosion. Likewise, discovering what you should do for a living is an ongoing journey of introspection followed by trial and error.

One secret on the journey is: Go for it! Once you’ve identified your interests and talents, then begin seeking jobs, businesses, and/or volunteer positions that match your skills. Instead of succumbing to paralysis by analysis, get involved. Nothing will give you immediate feedback like actually performing the positions in which you are interested.

There are two things you should be aware of as you try new positions. First, be honest with yourself. Don’t confuse the initial excitement of a new experience with the satisfaction of doing a job that truly fulfills you. It is best to stay with a job for at least a month or two to get an accurate feel about it.

The second step is to keep your eyes and ears open. When you take action towards a position, unseen opportunities will suddenly arise. It works like magic! As the old saying goes, “When God closes one door, He always opens a window.” Be on the lookout for fresh ways to express your talents and interests. A great question to ask each night is: What did I do today that I really enjoyed and how can I make a living doing more of it in the future?

Jason C Steinle the host of The Steinle Show talk radio and television programs. He is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Director of Health and Harmony Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Evergreen, CO. Jason is also the author of Upload Experience: Quarterlife Solutions which is available at www.amazon.com and at www.uploadexperience.com