I’ve always known that the idea of ‘working’ is something I didn’t agree with.
As a child, I hated the idea of growing up to have to go to work.
When people asked me what I wanted to be when I was older the response focused on things I loved to do and never revolved around making money and having to go to an office.
For many years the answer was ‘I’ll be a football manager”. Even from a young age I realised I wasn't good enough to play so managing was the next best thing.
The more I thought about my career the more it evolved. Soon I thought I’d be an artist with my growing obsession with painting. Then towards the idea of creating something to sell.
Currently, I don't know how to describe what I do. I guess fundamentally the best way to say it is “I work for myself and follow creativity where I can and if I can help people along the way then that serves me too, but I refuse to sit trapped in an office for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week!”
I listened to Kevin Hart on the Joe Rogan Podcast for the first time many years ago and one line has stuck with me. Kevin spoke about the idea of our lives being books and different times or events as chapters.
‘You've got a bunch of chapters in your book, but when they close the book, how good was YOUR book?!!’ he said rhetorically.
My mind took hold of this idea and I’ve surfed it ever since. I must have been in my mid-20s when I heard it, at a point where I truly had no idea or direction for my life.
I knew what I didn't want to do. I didn't want to work in an office and do the 9-5. I didn't want to see my future ahead of me in one company for over 40 years. I didn’t want to be bored.
It wasn’t until I heard this that I settled into the idea of what work could mean to me. Firstly, it would have an evolving meaning throughout the different chapters of my life. Secondly, it wouldn’t dominate my life. Thirdly, it would be there to enhance my life.
For my twenties, it meant testing the waters, experiencing different career types and figuring out what I enjoyed.
I set the idea that by 30 I wanted to have experience working in 5 different career types. So far I’ve explored 7 and with less than 2 months to my birthday, I think I’ve found the start of a path that looks quite interesting.
For my 30’s it feels like it could be about growth. I don't know what that means or how it will play out but after spending 5/6 years exploring I have a much better idea of how I want to work and play, and that seems a good place to build stronger foundations.
Make It Count:
If we were allowed to plan what we would do with our lives, with no worries about money, I am sure a lot of our time would be filled with experiences and moments of laughter with people we love.
Money is not the be-all and end-all of life. Sadly the world we live in is so heavily based around making money that it is hard to escape. This is even more the case for those who have a scarcity mindset towards money.
When Kevin Hart spoke about having chapters in our books I immediately imagined the moments that would shape my life the experiences I wanted to have and the range of feelings I wanted to feel.
It is too easy to forget the fundamentals of what makes living so unique. We can be clouded by the idea that a good career will define our lives and bring us happiness.
In a study done of dying people the most common two regrets they had were;
I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me
I wish I hadn't worked so hard
Both these regrets stem from the idea that chasing things doesn't serve us as much as we thought.
We only get one chance to experience this amazing thing called life and it should reinforce the importance of finding balance and allocating time to live freely and how you dreamed it as a child.
Play:
A huge thing we forget as adults is that life is not as serious as we think it is. We forget how to play and explore ideas and maintain creativity.
As we grow older we get forced into areas of pressure and seriousness that beats the fun and adventurous nature out of us.
I spoke to a highly successful man a few months back who had come to a men's group call completely lost and uninspired, searching for happiness.
He was in the world of advertising, leading a UK arm of a leading global agency but quit his job because he lost his fulfilment.
As a group, we talked about what he could do as first steps to find more moments of happiness in his life and it was suggested that he looked back at his childhood towards what he loved to do as a child.
It was amazing to see his mood and posture change as a smile came across his face remembering all the games and activities he pursued as a child. It almost felt like relief flowing through his body as he connected to those memories.
We all discussed what we used to do that would completely engross us. For me, it was playing football or drawing and building things. These were activities where I never looked at the clock. It was moments like this that he needed to chase and more of us need to experience regularly to feel more alive and happy with our lives.
Our childhood hobbies have a lot more meaning to us than we believe and for some, if they allow their dreams to flow, can define how they live the rest of their lives.
I am Will Flindall, host of the Valley of Outlaws Podcast where I speak to those who have decided to take control of their life and follow a passion or instinct.
If you feel like you could be getting more from your life, then maybe one of the conversations I’ve had with the Outlaws might help you kickstart a change.
Peace x
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