Mind of Jacka: Just a Job

Let me start with an aside. The quote above is often falsely attributed to Confucious. I’m reading a fascinating book called Hemingway Didn’t Say That by Garson O’Toole which explores the attributions of famous quotations, pointing out a number of quotes for which the attributions are incorrect. This quote is one of them. The earliest published example of the exact saying comes from Arthur Szathmary, a philosophy professor who attributed it to an anonymous “old-timer.” So, who actually said it first? We just don’t know.

But none of that is why I called you here.

I have heard this quote and sentiment from many people. I’m one who has espoused versions of it. I’ve always said that being in internal audit was seldom work because I really liked what I did.

However, I’ve also seen the application of this quote lead to wrack and to ruin. Students come out of college (or drop out of college) with the dream of finding a job they love, having already determined what their love will be. They flounder, trying their best to live that dream. And they crash and burn. I’ve talked with a few friends whose kids were lured by this shiny object. And I think I finally found the error in everyone’s thinking (including my own).

There is nothing wrong with pursuing a dream. But reality must intrude with its own sensibilities. So, I offer my alteration of the quote. (To the best of my knowledge, I made this up. But I guess O’Toole can make this part of his next book.)

“Find what you can love in a job, and it is no longer work.”

Here’s where I’m coming from. One of my earliest job experiences was working in a country-rock band. Trust me, that was pursuing something I loved and while, as with many other jobs, it was work at times, it was the true definition of finding a job I loved and not feeling it was work. But, like most of you, I also had a hodgepodge of other jobs. I worked as an ice cream shoveler at an amusement park, as kitchen help at a BBQ joint, as a ticket taker at a theater, as a pressman at a printing company, and, eventually, as an internal auditor. (But you knew that last one already, didn’t you?)

In almost every one of those jobs, I never felt like I was working. I found what was fun in those jobs and focused on them. I found what I could love.

However, there was one exception — the kitchen help job at the BBQ joint. Lots of problems and while I found some fun, there wasn’t enough to make it worth staying. So, I was gone. Which leads to part two of my new quote.

“If you can’t find something to love, then look for a new job.

I left that job after a few short weeks (seemed like years).

But internal audit is still the perfect story of how this worked for me. I got into accounting because I liked the numbers. I got my first job at Farmers Insurance Group in the accounting department. Yes, the numbers were still fun, but the job became tedious rote with no love. An opening came up in internal audit and I jumped at the opportunity. I got that new job and never looked back. I didn’t know it when I joined, but I had found the job I loved (almost as much as playing in bands). And, to this day, I still love what I do.

As my internal audit role expanded, I found myself in the position to hire and evaluate people. And, while I won’t go into the details, I will say I saw (and sadly hired) a few people who were searching for something they could love — and never finding it. Which leads to part three of my new quote.

“If you continue to fail, then take a closer look at yourself.”

It’s like the old tale about the person who has had multiple jobs, hated every one of them, and claimed that every boss was horrible. In talking to a friend about the situation, there was a pause. The friend then asked, “What does each of these stories have in common?” He answered, “The bad bosses.” The friend answered, “No. The common element is you.”

In searching for work to love, we do not want to ignore our dreams. (That country rock band from the ‘70s still gets together and plays… in public… and gets paid!) But we will find ourselves in positions for which we did not plan. And, if we want to feel it’s no longer work — if we want to be happy where we work — then we must find where that happiness lies. In some situations, we are looking in barren land and have to move on. But if you are continually moving on, what is the common element?

“Find what you can love in a job, and it no longer is work. If you can’t find something you love, then look for a new job. If you continue to fail, then take a closer look at yourself.”

And for anyone who was paying attention, the line under the title of this piece was, indeed, based on the Stephen Stills song. I’ll let you look it up.