I sat on the bus this morning awestruck at what I was reading. A shaking of the head and with my mouth wide open, I sat whilst the rest of the world outside whizzed passed me.
Like most commuters I casually picked up my free copy of Stylist magazine as I made my way into work, only to find myself bemused and frowning only a few short moments later.
Column articles are usually my favorites, as they can be extremely topical and they sometimes include subject matter that can be quite profound and thought provoking.
However, this morning I would say I was more bemused than mentally challenged. Lucy Mangan’s Outspoken column this week was more baffling than any other column I have read in the past.
Apparently, from what I gathered from her writing, people should not “do what [they] love” for a living, as they tend to use it as “a manner that suggests it is a sensible goal, an eminently realistic ambition.”
What is wrong with setting yourself goals and having ambitions. Within today’s modern society it is extremely rare to find a job and to stay in it for life. The more contemporary way of thinking is to find an industry and career that you love and enjoy and work your way up the professional ladder.
My Dad always said to me when I was little, “you can be whatever you want to be and if you put your mind to it then you can achieve anything.”
“You can be whatever you want to be and if you put your mind to it then you can achieve anything.”
That is true, to a certain extent; you can do what you want to do, but you must bare in mind that with time comes realism. Being able to do what you love means that there are certain stepping stones that need to be taken in order to get yourself there.
The more goals you set yourself the higher you will climb up the ladder. That’s always been my way of thinking.
I have been dubbed by friends and family as a person who ‘sees what she wants and then goes and gets it’. For me, there is no other way.
Lucy also describes the way that society sees people who do achieve their goals and ambitions, as having an “X-Factor” stylized celebrity status, and those that do not attain their goals are deemed as “Lazy”, “Thick” and that they don’t “really want it as much as they should”.
But hold the phone for a second, surely not every persons’ dream is to be a celebrity or a top-end executive. People can love any type of work, after all we are all individuals. So, if doing what we love means that we need to be in high-end jobs and careers then statistically this will never come to fruition. Consequently, in a way I can understand Lucy’s hypothesis that this could “set a lot of people up for unhappiness when they ‘fail’.”
Disappointment only serves to inspire and educate. As the motto goes “you don’t know unless you try”, or how about, “try, try and try again.” What Lucy fails to recognize is that people are in control of their own destiny and that perseverance is our biggest ally.
For me, doing what I love means that I am happy and content in the work that I do – and a by-product of this is pride. I take enormous amount of pleasure in doing the work that I do and when I have completed a project I get an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, thus productivity and quality of the work I do is greatly increased.
Lucy ended her article by saying “follow the money to see whose interests are really being served” – really?
This is best summed up by former US President Ronald Reagan when he said, “money can’t buy happiness.” After all it is not all about the money, job satisfaction is crucial in life fulfillment.
Just remember that as you make your way into work, and consider – do you really love what you do?”
Like most commuters I casually picked up my free copy of Stylist magazine as I made my way into work, only to find myself bemused and frowning only a few short moments later.
Column articles are usually my favorites, as they can be extremely topical and they sometimes include subject matter that can be quite profound and thought provoking.
However, this morning I would say I was more bemused than mentally challenged. Lucy Mangan’s Outspoken column this week was more baffling than any other column I have read in the past.
Apparently, from what I gathered from her writing, people should not “do what [they] love” for a living, as they tend to use it as “a manner that suggests it is a sensible goal, an eminently realistic ambition.”
What is wrong with setting yourself goals and having ambitions. Within today’s modern society it is extremely rare to find a job and to stay in it for life. The more contemporary way of thinking is to find an industry and career that you love and enjoy and work your way up the professional ladder.
My Dad always said to me when I was little, “you can be whatever you want to be and if you put your mind to it then you can achieve anything.”
“You can be whatever you want to be and if you put your mind to it then you can achieve anything.”
That is true, to a certain extent; you can do what you want to do, but you must bare in mind that with time comes realism. Being able to do what you love means that there are certain stepping stones that need to be taken in order to get yourself there.
The more goals you set yourself the higher you will climb up the ladder. That’s always been my way of thinking.
I have been dubbed by friends and family as a person who ‘sees what she wants and then goes and gets it’. For me, there is no other way.
Lucy also describes the way that society sees people who do achieve their goals and ambitions, as having an “X-Factor” stylized celebrity status, and those that do not attain their goals are deemed as “Lazy”, “Thick” and that they don’t “really want it as much as they should”.
But hold the phone for a second, surely not every persons’ dream is to be a celebrity or a top-end executive. People can love any type of work, after all we are all individuals. So, if doing what we love means that we need to be in high-end jobs and careers then statistically this will never come to fruition. Consequently, in a way I can understand Lucy’s hypothesis that this could “set a lot of people up for unhappiness when they ‘fail’.”
Disappointment only serves to inspire and educate. As the motto goes “you don’t know unless you try”, or how about, “try, try and try again.” What Lucy fails to recognize is that people are in control of their own destiny and that perseverance is our biggest ally.
For me, doing what I love means that I am happy and content in the work that I do – and a by-product of this is pride. I take enormous amount of pleasure in doing the work that I do and when I have completed a project I get an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, thus productivity and quality of the work I do is greatly increased.
Lucy ended her article by saying “follow the money to see whose interests are really being served” – really?
This is best summed up by former US President Ronald Reagan when he said, “money can’t buy happiness.” After all it is not all about the money, job satisfaction is crucial in life fulfillment.
Just remember that as you make your way into work, and consider – do you really love what you do?”
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