If there’s a single question that I hate more than anything else it’s, “what do you do for a living?”
I guess it’s interesting to know, or maybe we’re just looking to break the ice and have something to talk about.
However, from now on, I’m going to say “I tame wild buffalo.” I mean really, what could be more interesting than that?
- If you say you’re an artist, they’ll respond by saying “oh that’s cool.” And then they’ll probably talk about you behind your back and wonder how you could ever afford to pay your mortgage.
- If you say you’re an accountant, you’ll get called a bean- counter.
- If you say you’re a teacher, many will immediately feel anger and resentment toward you because you enjoy the summer by lounging around a swimming pool.
When I sat down to think about what really bugged me about the question, it was how willing are we to give up our real identities to what we do to make money. So why not just say something that makes you sound more interesting?
I just got new business cards and the card says: marketer | entrepreneur | dreamer
I’m a big dreamer. I probably should have left marketer and entrepreneur off the card completely.
My next batch of business cards will say starving artist or maybe aspiring linchpin. I’m not an artist in the sense you’re thinking. I can’t paint worth diddly squat, but I’ve got goals to make sure every day counts by doing work that matters. That’s the definition of an artist.
I’m not willing to give up an irreplaceable day of my life in exchange for a paycheck. No way.
Everything I do from here on out has to matter. This blog post has to matter. If it sparks any sort of positive feeling in you, then I’ve accomplished my goal.
I hope you do the same…. Make it count.
