GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may go marry:
For having lost but once your prime
You may for ever tarry.
~Robert Herrick
The Dead Poets Society is one of my top five favorite movies of all time. It might be because I get reminiscent about high school, or I can feeling that strict academic and parental pressure again, or I can relate when an amazing teacher that opens you up emotionally and mentally, but the movie is especially moving.
The first lesson Robin Williams teaches at Welton Academy is about the poem above. "Carpe Diem, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." Hard to do when you've been put on the track of Mr. Future Lawyer and Mr. Future Banker. Right, Nawanda?
I admit, yes, it is hard to balance what you have to do and what you want to do. One of my best rowers had a bout of post-graduate wandering. He determined he is of the generation that often gets lost in this job market. What he wants to do versus a 24-year-old, living at home with his parents in an Active Adult Retirement community, working at a non-paying internship. He also said that he was also in the generation that capitalizes on their (mis)fortunes, and decided to write a book about his "lost years" post-grad.
Not sure if that book made it past the third chapter, but I sympathized. At the time, I had a job lined up and ready to go once I got my diploma. That didn't happen, and for the best...
All I wanted was for someone to recognize my skills and let me be extraordinary for them. Any company, just like any guy, would be lucky to have me. My parents floated the idea of being a temp, being a substitute teacher, working as a waitress. Angrily, I said I didn't go through four years of college to be working part-time in a field I have absolutely no interest in pursuing, like career waitressing. Not many stories are written about extraordinary office temps.
Even now, having been at a wonderful job for four years, there's still more. More questions, more things to learn, more that I'm not currently doing. I haven't gone through my best years of being mid-twenty, just to get to a place that isn't so much different than where I was before.
I don't disrespect my parents, or the type of lifestyle they are currently living, but it's not for me. Luckily, I now have a partner who isn't a big fan of it, as well.
So where do you go, when it seems everything you want is uncharted?
Carpe Diem. Make your life extraordinary.
1) Break out of the Box
It takes a lot of determination to walk away from convention, from doing what you've always been told to do. Play by the rules, pay your dues, and you'll be rewarded in the end. That's not going to happen anymore, unless you live somewhere other than Earth.
Unless you feel like working for the government, walk away from everything you know about conventional work. The straight line from Point A to Point B might be easy, but it almost might be doing you a disservice.
I always admire those who can create their own jobs. Not just entrepreneurs, but innovative thinkers that can create something from what has just been floating around in their head. I love that my job lets me take risks in marketing; and I can see how those risks have paid off. It might not be the job of my dreams, but it's helping me get there.
Think you are just going through the motions in your job, then stop and do something else. What else can you offer? What can you do to make sure that work isn't just "work"?
So whether you're looking for a mentor, some inspiration, or someone to converse with every now and then, you can find someone online. Find interesting people you can learn from, or maybe even share your experiences to help someone else. No intimidation. Connect with other people's voices, and in the end, amplify your own.
Books to keep in your pocket
The first lesson Robin Williams teaches at Welton Academy is about the poem above. "Carpe Diem, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." Hard to do when you've been put on the track of Mr. Future Lawyer and Mr. Future Banker. Right, Nawanda?
Not sure if that book made it past the third chapter, but I sympathized. At the time, I had a job lined up and ready to go once I got my diploma. That didn't happen, and for the best...
All I wanted was for someone to recognize my skills and let me be extraordinary for them. Any company, just like any guy, would be lucky to have me. My parents floated the idea of being a temp, being a substitute teacher, working as a waitress. Angrily, I said I didn't go through four years of college to be working part-time in a field I have absolutely no interest in pursuing, like career waitressing. Not many stories are written about extraordinary office temps.
So where do you go, when it seems everything you want is uncharted?
Carpe Diem. Make your life extraordinary.
1) Break out of the Box
It takes a lot of determination to walk away from convention, from doing what you've always been told to do. Play by the rules, pay your dues, and you'll be rewarded in the end. That's not going to happen anymore, unless you live somewhere other than Earth.
Unless you feel like working for the government, walk away from everything you know about conventional work. The straight line from Point A to Point B might be easy, but it almost might be doing you a disservice.
I always admire those who can create their own jobs. Not just entrepreneurs, but innovative thinkers that can create something from what has just been floating around in their head. I love that my job lets me take risks in marketing; and I can see how those risks have paid off. It might not be the job of my dreams, but it's helping me get there.
Think you are just going through the motions in your job, then stop and do something else. What else can you offer? What can you do to make sure that work isn't just "work"?
Charlie Hoehn's The New Way to Work at the TED conference, Carnegie Mellon University.
2) IMPOSSIBLE
This may make me a horrible friend, but I hate when all people talk about is their work and their relationship. Mostly because it's usually complaining about work or complaining about the relationship. I understand that these are big elements in life, but their needs to be something more. And if all you have is complaining, it's hard to believe that you're actually doing what you want in life.
I got this from my New Years' book, PUSH by Chalene Johnson. Make a list of 10 Crazy Impossible things you want to do in the next year. They could include a Half-marathon you want to train for, launching a new business venture, going back to school, or even just enriching a relationship. Got your 10 things/goals you want to accomplish? Then actively make time for them during your day, week, month, year.
Here are mine for this year:
1) I can run an hour on the treadmill without feeling like I'm dying. (Soon to be 90 minutes)
2) I have created a budget spreadsheet that prevents me from overspending, but lets me live with scrimping.
3) I have created a working media plan for the SMS River Run
4) I've created a personal brand for myself, my awesomesauce.
5) I write a lot, and not about myself.
6) I've created a creative and efficient work and living space
7) I've turned my resolutions into reality
8) I want to work hard enough to earn an elusive raise
9) I have built my resume to be impressive, personally and professionally.
10) I am at 17% BMI
Each goal is measurable and has an end result that can be built upon. Even the act of writing your goals down and keeping them with you ensures that you are working toward something greater, something bigger. Because once you stop climbing, you've just reached a plateau.
Nothing is impossible, and I very much enjoy proving that.
3) What do you love?
This is a pretty straight-forward question. Find out the things you love to do. Maybe they are skills, or activities, or organizations that you support. Whatever they are, build on them.
You like design? Audit a class or webinar, look into continuing education. Find out how you can sharpen your skills, then apply them to your work. Maybe you support a nonprofit. Volunteer with the organization, help them fund raise or spread their cause through your social networks.
Take what you love and bring it to the next level. You're then making it fulfilling. You're using your skills in a positive way that can bring positive change. And in the meantime, you might even find your purpose.
4) Find a Community
You are the company you keep. In the last week, I've found a handful of blogs that are not only inspirational, but keep me focused on being awesome. They challenge the norm, give new perspective, and constantly remind me of how much I can personally accomplish.
They're good peeps!
Books to keep in your pocket
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Travel to somewhere new. Find interesting people and make a connection.
Learn a new skill, or create something beautiful.
Carpe Diem, friends. Make your life extraordinary.
Tomorrow will be today in a very short time.
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