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One of the two biggest choices people face in life is getting
on the right career path; the other is choosing the right companion.
We spend most our lives working and being in relationships. Our
energy and attention is largely focused on our daily activity
and the people we are connected to. Making excellent choices
in these areas brings joy and vitality to daily life. If your
choices align with who you are, and what you are about, chances
are you'll find yourself smiling a lot more and leading a fulfilling
life.
Are you doing exactly what you want to do with your life?
"Nope," say most people. Career surveys on the web-site
"Monster.com" illustrate an up-to-date picture of where
people are in regard to their career fulfillment. In response
to the question: How did you choose your career? 45% said,
"I just fell into this," and 18% said, "My mother
chose it for me." This adds up to over 70% who rely on a
passive approach to "choosing" their career direction.
In another survey, the question was posed: Are you where you
hoped to be at your age, career-wise? 42% said, "No,
not even close," and 41% said, "Not exactly, I've got
some catching up to do." Again, over 80% say they are not
where they really want to be. These statistics further confirm
professional surveys conducted by career experts who find that
at least 70% of Americans have little to no passion for their
work. What's wrong with this picture? Why are so many people
using a "hit or miss" approach to choosing their career?
Actually, hit or miss does not quite capture this state of affairs.
People are unwittingly (and somewhat intentionally) "not choosing" their
career. In other words, are you being guided by a
set of values that say, "any good job will do," so
long as it gives you that comfortable lifestyle? If this philosophy
is running the show, you probably weren't
all that picky about what you do everyday. Doctor, lawyer,
engineer, marketeer, accountant . . . eenie, meanie, minie, moe.
Looking at the big picture, Americans have only had the last
century to practice steering the direction of their life. Looking
back over the last 2,000+ years of civilization, the majority
of the human population was poor and powerless, living in autocratic
king-queen-dictator-emperor-ruled societies. People didn't have
many choices, if any at all, about what to do with their life.
To actually have a choice and pursue a self-created career path
is a modern dilemma, and it took a lot of experimenting to get
here. We are still learning how to take advantage of our individuality.
I've worked with hundreds of professionals from around the
country who feel deeply frustrated, unable to get on the right
track after several tries. What they have in common is a model
of what "work" is "supposed" to be. Most
have set out, from day they graduate high school, to pursue work
as a "means" to an end. Their career choice did not
consider work as something fulfilling in itself, but rather,
as the best way to have a comfortable life outside of work. As
one unhappy human resources director put it, "this is how
I was taught, and how I'm teaching my kids to choose their careers."
As well, many young professionals admit there only in it for
the money, planning for an early retirement to do what they really
want. Could it be that this model for work is outdated? Where
did the values that shape our concept of "work" come
from?
Cultural attitudes toward work shifted with each new era of
Western Civilization. The ancient Greeks held work with high
esteem; both nobles and commoners viewed work as an integrated
part of their daily life. They lived in small family-based cultures
that were self-supporting, producing only what they needed to
live. In the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., Aristotle's philosophy
of the good life-a life of leisure to develop the mind and body,
became the ultimate aim. Working for wages was viewed with disdain.
The farmer was esteemed for growing his own products for survival;
there was no need for a market exchange.
In biblical times, the Jews and Christians introduced a new
work ethic. Work was seen as atonement, a penance activity, and
a way to resist the sin of idleness and sloth. Pleasing "God"
was a way of life. Duty and obligation to the Church and State
continued as the spirit of work through the early and Middle
ages. Echoes of this way of life penetrated well into the mid-19th
century. The predominant belief, taught by the medieval Catholic
Church, was that God assigns everyone his or her place. Everyone
worked within the confines of the trade they were born into,
and were expected to be happy with that. During this period,
the majority of the world's population lived in small villages,
did most work by hand, and lived a simple rural life of farming.
It is estimated that at no time during the Middle Ages did more
the 10 percent of the entire population live in towns or cities.
Rural peasants and serfs were illiterate, and largely lived a
slave-like existence in service to a crown, feudal lord, or the
church. Unless you were lucky to be born into the ruling class,
your future was determined for you.
More roots of the modern work ethic were planted in the 16th
century by John Calvin, who broke away from the Catholic Church's
belief that prosperity flowed from divine guidance. Calvin's
concept of work, or calling, set the stage for our concept of
work and lifestyle today. He preached a sense of individualism;
man could have a personal relationship with God, while seeking
a profession that is profitable. Yet, Calvin was also against
using profits gained from one's work for personal enjoyment.
This conflict of values introduced the idea of "hard work"
for its own sake as a duty in itself. We know this concept of
work as the Protestant work ethic-hard work, enterprise, thriftiness,
and business success were the ultimate aim. The spirit of our
modern day work ethic was born, yet was still only a minor refinement
of the serfdom preceding it. The Enlightenment of 17th and 18th centuries brought science,
technology, and, a respect for human individuality. In repulsion
to the autocratic way of life where people were cogs in service
to the public wheel, a new spirit of privatization and individuality
was born. The mantras of "taking care of number one"
and "pulling oneself up" out of poverty were embraced.
Industrialization of the 18th and 19th centuries further reinforced
this "get ahead" mentality; people left the agricultural
life for jobs in the city factories. Hard work was a means to
a better life for the poor, who were still over 90% of the civilized
world's population. These survival-based values, with small tweaks over the last
30,000+ years of human civilization, echoed well into 20th century.
Today, acquiring income for personal consumption in pursuit of
a comfortable and secure lifestyle are tightly woven into the
fabric of American life. Even with boundless resources and the
complete freedom to invent a unique career path, few people are
taking the chance. Outside of owning a home, big screen TV, SUV,
cell phone, and taking the occasional vacation, few people are
actually willing to take up the offer the "American Dream"
truly signifies. How do we let go of those pesky values of yesteryear?
Anyone for a lobotomy? Seriously, we can move beyond the values
that have been embedded in our collective psyche throughout the
long hard journey traveled by mankind, and make career choices
that reflect the ideals of the modern world unfolding before
our eyes.
The glorious 21st Century is here, are you living by values
that were shaped by ghostly serfs and lords? I guess it's almost
impossible not to be. How many people do you know who still view
work largely as a "duty" or as a security blanket to
prepare for life's uncertainties, and feel like their life is
being run by an over controlling Lord (I mean boss)? Dilbert seems
to have quite a dedicated audience. Indeed, I once upon a time
found myself feeling like a serf (without the tights)--in relentless
pursuit of a "better" life--and with all the modern
comforts of the castle well within reach. Thank goodness Robinhood
shot me with an arrow, peircing my fear of the unknown, and opened
up my gallant Sir Chance taking.Take a moment to reflect on what is guiding your choices.
Is it your family history, cultural trends, friends, mom and
dad, movie heroes, or the latest global fad? What most influences
and shapes your personal view and rules for living a fulfilling
life? In other words, what values are driving your major life
choices? Choosing well begins with defining your own true values, the
ones that you want to live into the future with. Try this
experiment: spend a week reflecting on what is most important
to you. Ask yourself the following question everyday for a week,
"What am I about, really?" Observe everything you do
and have. Make a list and title it: "Values that guide my
choices." Notice what values are currently driving your
biggest choices. Examine to see which of your values are adopted
standards or rules that you may have inadvertently picked up
along the way. Finally, choose your true values--the principles
you will use to steer and shape your life into the wild wonderful
future.
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