Is it just a job for you?

For some, work is work. It pays the bills and that’s enough. To expect that a job can provide anything more is foolish, they say.

I say otherwise.

If you choose to toil away for 50 years at a job that makes you miserable, enjoy. I’d prefer to spend that time doing something that challenges me, gets me excited and motivates me.

But hey, different strokes for different folks, right?

I genuinely love what I do. I get psyched when a new project comes in. I get a thrill when I solve a problem creatively. I look forward to spending my day surrounded by fun, interesting people. 

I’m a lucky guy, really.

But it’s not all luck. I worked my ass off to get where I am today. Because when I was fresh out of school at 22, toiling away at a job I hated, I knew I wanted more. So I did my research. I asked everyone I could think of about their job. I read articles and dozens of ‘what career is right for me’ books. 

And eventually, I found advertising. Once I saw my first (horrible) ad in print, I was hooked. There’s nothing quite like that feeling. And I still get it today when I see something I created on TV, in print or online. 

Why should we tell people that they can’t have this feeling too? It doesn’t have to come from advertising. It could be engineering or construction or accounting. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. What matters is finding the right match. Figure out what drives you and then find the job that fills that need. Just like in romance, there’s something out there for everyone.

Just don’t expect that dream job to magically appear in front of you. It takes work. It takes time. And it takes an honest assessment of who you are and what you want from your life. 

If, after that assessment, you decide that you would prefer to spend 100,000+ hours of your life completely miserable, go for it. 

Happy clock-watching.