What’s a Job?

The Desert of Arizona
Hot 91 Degrees – 7:48 a.m.

Yesterday, my 12 year old son, Egan, asked my five year old son, True, what he wants to do when he grows up.

His first response was quick and honest, “I want to be able to go down the slide at the pool.”

When you’re five and you see your brothers and sisters doing something you can’t do yet, it’s a big accomplishment.

But that’s not the answer my 12 year old was looking for. “No, I don’t mean that, I mean what do you want to DO when you grow up? What job do you want to do?”

True looked at him and responded, “What’s a job?”

He probably doesn’t know about it because it’s not a word we use. Getting a job isn’t a goal in our approach to life. Unless there’s something you want to learn from someone else, it’s just not smart to try to get picked by one person.

The funny part is that it seems hardly anyone actually WANTS a job. If they did, they wouldn’t complain about them so much, or use their “job” as the excuse for why they choose to put off living life until some future date when it’s more convenient.

What people really want is a way to provide for themselves. To have food on the table. To have experiences that enrich themselves and those around them. To provide a certain level of safety and security for those they love. And much more.

The “job” is the story that has been sold to the minds of most people for getting those things.

I don’t really care if someone wants to get a job or not. That’s none of my business.

The point is that people often say they want something because they think it can get them something else (like food on the table!)

But to accept that story without critical analysis leaves a lot of opportunity on the table.

Is the thing you say you want what you really want? Or has your mind been trained to want that thing because of the story that has been told to you?

Do you really want clients? Or do you just want clients for money? What other possibilities exist if you take CLIENTS off the table and use your skills to create the same result (money)? Is that even possible?

There’s no right answer. There’s only your ability to THINK and get to the best right answer for you.