Philosopher Alan Watts knew how to explain it decades ago: how to shape your life and career
“What gives you the creeps? What kind of situation would you like? I coach many students in career counseling for students: they come to me and say well, we are going to college and have no idea what we want to do. So I always ask the question: what would you want to do if money didn’t matter? How would you really like to spend your life in a fun way?
What career do you dream of?
The outcome is as amazing as the result of our educational system: masses of students say, “Well, we want to be painters, we want to be poets, we want to be writers or photographers. We want to be involved with nature. But as everyone knows, you can’t make money that way! Another says: I want to live outside and become a shepherd, or ride horses all day.’ Then I asked, “Do you want to teach in an equestrian center? Let’s expand on this. What do you want to do?
Some career choices you only have to make once
When we finally get to something that the person says he really wants to do, I will say to him, ‘Do that! And forget about the money!’ Because if you say that getting money is the most important thing, then you will be completely wasting your life wasting your time! You will do things you don’t like to stay alive, which is stupid!
It is better to have a short life full of what you love than a long life spent in a miserable way.
Alan Watts – Philosopher
And if you really like what you do – it doesn’t really matter what it is – you can eventually become a master at it. The only way to become a master at something in a pleasant way is to actually do those things. And then you will be able to get good compensation for whatever it is. So don’t worry too much, there is someone interested in everything. Anything you are interested in, you will find others who are.
If you do what you always did, little will change about your career.
But it is absolutely stupid to spend your time doing things you don’t like, to continue doing things you don’t like, and to teach our children to follow the same path. Now we are raising our children and training them to live the same kind of life that we live. That way we stay in the system and solve nothing. That is why it is so important to think about this question:
What do I desire?”
