March 8, 2011

Im going to get this post out of the way for fear of being occupied this weekend. This one is just a guide to do well in life, in any thing really. Some of you may already know this hint, some may call it retarded, but I found it to strike a few cords quite strongly, and its some of the best advice I've ever been given. (Thanks Opa)

The secret, if you could call it that, was given to me by a baker. Now bakers aren't renown for a over whelming success and wealth, fantastic work hours, I can say that when I think of a good paying job, it doesn't even touch my two remaining braincells. My grandfather was a baker for most of his adult life, aside from a tour in the military, he apprenticed in the Netherlands and then moved here to Canada to start a new life. He's told me many a tale of difficulty and I can see some points where if he didnt follow his little piece of advice, he may have given up. All said and told, the man has been married for 53 years now, raised four successful children, and still managed to provide support and entertainment for his family. When i say this, I mean All my uncles and aunt had a motorbike, and the necessities for water skiing at a cabin Opa built. Lake front. (Its where He and my grandmother have retired to.)  I look at the sum of all this, and it cant just be from good bartering (He is dutch after all) And I brought my conclusion up to him once and he just smiled and laughed a bit before letting me into a secret. "All you need to succeed is two little things, and the rest will take care of its self. The first is an obvious common sense. The second is Passion for what you do."

Now I was 16 at the time, and basically blinked and nodded like I understood. I mean in a sense I did, but only at the very basic of understandings. Like what do for a living. That was just the beginning, now 9 years later, I think Ive got a better grasp on what he was trying to say. Not so much like what you do, but love what you've become or are becoming. I can see that my grandfather loves to bake, because after a career of over 45yrs, he still bakes. I get a black forest cake for my birthday, he bakes his own bread, and his cookies are so good I honestly can say, without a doubt, that I would kill for them. (nomnomnomnom)

To reason it out a bit more, because I love to over think things, it makes sense on almost scientific level. We, as humans, are a very emotional species. The chemicals given to us by evolution have made certain that we feel love, hate, fear, pride, and lust on a regular basis, or else we're deemed insane. Ive seen too many people bottle all those emotions to to the limit, and then they pop. Its bad to watch sometimes, unless its the last one, and they actually are mentally injured from the event. So what Im getting at is that we as humans need to feel, and to let these feelings out in our own ways, and the result is generally a pretty good feeling about ones self. That being said, have you ever loved your job? I mean you go to work and leave with a bit of a smile on your face, or eager to go back the next day to finish a certain task? It has that satisfying feeling that assures you that youre doing what youre meant to, and that youre proud of what youve accomplished. Those little bits are what are important. Ive heard the story too many times "Man, I wish I had done life differently." "I wish I didnt do what I do, but its a job." And I wince every time. It turns your job into a regret and chore, and how many hours of your life are you devoting to a regret? Some how that just doesnt seem like a great way to spend your time.

And I know, there are tough days, ignorant management, asshole colleges, lack of work opportunities, ect ect, that can make life utterly miserable and quite difficult. This isnt the solution to all of life's problems, hell, it might not help some people at all. But I personally have seen the results, more than once, and starting to live it as we speak. So my word of advice this week is simply this. Passion.

I think Im going to dive into the need for a pass time next week...