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  • From: "Thomas Beckett" <thomas AT tbeckett.com>
  • To: <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [internetworkers] hot or not: meaningful work
  • Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 15:48:24 -0500 (EST)

Uzi's remark about being called out for being a security guard reminded me
of an article I want to recommend to y'all. Po Bronson has a piece in
Fast Company (promoting a book) called "What Should I Do With My Life."

http://www.fastcompany.com/online/66/mylife.html

Bronson discusses his examination of what makes work meaningful. He
undertook this project he undertook over a period of two years,
interviewing dozens of people to find folks who had found satisfaction in
what they do. Bronson's thesis is that people of our generation and social
class are wasting their careers and their potential by pursuing money or
status or what's hot.

There are far too many smart, educated, talented people
operating at quarter speed, unsure of their place in the world,
contributing far too little to the productive engine of modern
civilization. There are far too many people who look like they
have their act together but have yet to make an impact. You
know who you are. It comes down to a simple gut check: You
either love what you do or you don't. Period.

You've heard it before, no doubt, but this author does a good job at
setting out the quandary and asking the right questions. Bronson's example
of a investment banker describes exactly how I have felt in my law
practice:

Joe went on to run Piper Jaffray in Seattle. By the mid-1990s,
he realized that one little compromise had defined his life.
"I didn't want to be a high-priced midwife," he said. "I wanted
to be a mother. It was never my deal. It was my clients' deal.
They were taking the risk. They were building hospitals and
bridges and freeways, not me. I envied them for that."

There are some other interesting pieces along the same lines in last
month's Utne Reader. I guess the point I want to make is that Uzi is
doing something good and valuable with his life, it just isn't connected
to his vocational title. That is probably true of many of us, especially
with economic conditions what they are. I definitely have to remind
myself of this (frequently), since I'm not very satisfied with lawyer work
and want to do something more meaningful as well.

Worth reading. Worth thinking about.

TaB






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