I’m sure right after you read that title you were thinking “Srini has lost his damn mind. Too many waves and too much water has made him nuts.” The truth is I think the recession has forced people to really get creative and start thinking outside the box. How often do you hear people say “man if I didn’t have this 9 to 5 job I would….” and they have a laundry list of all this stuff they want to do. Well, now is the perfect time to do all of it. When I finished business school back in April I really didn’t know how things were going to pan out. I actually only started this blog as a way to get my foot into the door to a “real job.” The reason I think people don’t reach their full potential in “real jobs” is because they are not often doing what they are most passionate about. They get a real job to accomplish a few really admirable goals:
1) Pay Rent
2) Pay the bills
3) Some stability
4) Pay off Debt
If looking at this list makes you excited, seriously email me and I’ll refer you to a therapist. It’s ridiculous for those things to be what drive you in life. Yet, most “real jobs” are designed to allow you to accomplish those things. The people who really kick ass in real jobs are the ones who love what they are doing, but at the end of the day they still have to do what someone else tells them to. I once said wrote about how a shift in perspective will shift what you see. I have gone through continuous shifts in perspective over the last several months, and perhaps the greatest has been that I’m really starting to buy into the idea that following your calling is the way you will get everything you want out of life.
If you don’t have a job, that’s AWESOME. Yes, I said it. I know the debts piling up, the lack of money, and the lack of security suck. I’m going through all of it too. But, the idea that you’re going to blow all of it away and be much further in your life and career than if you were in that stable situation should really get you excited. If I had received a job right after I finished business school, who knows where I would have ended up. Usually the situations that seem the worst often end up being the best thing that ever happened to us. That’s why you’ll often hear a cancer survivor actually say that having cancer was the best thing that ever happened to them. It sounds insane when you think about it, but you can either let it defeat you or let it empower you. I’m going with the latter and I think you should too.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Love this. You know, I completely agree. Without the recession, maybe the bi-annual raises that are typical of normal economical times would have made us all a little too comfortable to settle into a life of mediocrity. However, without those, many have been forced to break into the creativity vault and really find out what activities they love doing AND can profit from. The recession makes even those primary goals tough to accomplish, and further, it makes you realize that even if you only met the bills, covered the debt, etc. – you wouldn’t be truly happy.
I’ve been waiting for this sucker for a decade. The dot come was supposed to have erased the false gains accrued since 87 when monetary policy started really easing. But it didn’t.
If they manage to “contain” this and blow another bubble, the next crash will make this one look like a walk in the park. On a warm, sunny day.
Speaking of which… health care and education are clearly in economic bubbles.
This recession is tough, no doubt. It’s going to force a lot of people to create opportunities instead of trying to hunt them down. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be scary too.
@Jenny: No doubt we have a chance to really do something amazing. For the first time in history we actually have the capabilities, technology and resources available to us at virtually no cost. The other thing that is absolutely awesome is how many people that are out there that are willing to help at no cost. I think what we are going through is a sense of community among citizens of the world like we’ve never seen before.
@Dave: That’s definitely a bleak perspective, but I can see your point. Having been through both dot com bubbles myself and been on the tail end of them when I graduated twice, I would say the amt of false value created is scary
@Kenji: I think we’ve got an interesting ride ahead of us and I think were going to get definitely get some interesting opportunities out of this.
Hey Srinivas.
It sure can be the best thing for pro-active folks. It is not so good for those wanting to smoothly ride things out, as smoothness has been altered a bit.
You are right about how those few goals are not worth much. Contentment and barely meeting the criteria is not what we should be striving for. A shift in perspective takes a strong mind, so it is not for everyone, but it changes what we are capable of. I usually don’t shift my perspective much because it takes a lot of effort.
If all of society was talking like you are talking here, would we have a recession? That might be an over-simplified question, but I’d say not as much of one. Perception is a big part of the recession.
Most people surf down a wave, but you are surfing to the top.
I think the reason that some people would be motivated by that list because a basic human need is security. Some people think that’s enough. Not for guys like us, but for them it is enough. Horses for coarses.
Awesome post! It’s so cool that you’re seeing the positive in something that most people view as really negative. Love it!
@Armen: I think there is no doubt that society as a whole wouldn’t buy into this mentality. That’s because it actually requires effort on our part to see things like this. It’s much easier to blame things on circumstances. I’ve by no means perfected this, but it’s been said so many times “When you change the way you look at things, the way things look will start to change.”
@Gordie: There’s no doubt that the need for security drives us. It’s not easy to just say screw it and walk away.
@Dani: I think it’s either see it as a positive for be a victim of all of it. I think it’s better to see it as positive.