Making a Living

I've changed jobs and careers a few times in my life and I may do it again. As the world of work changes and what I need from a job changes, I change what I do for a living.

I've come to realize that we need to change how we think about choosing a career. What you need from a job is not the same in your twenties than in your fifties. So, that means you need a different job or career at those points in your life.

In my twenties I wanted diversity, challenges, travel, and fun. I wanted to build my experiences to enrich my life. I enjoyed work travel and would seek it out. I had jobs that involved travel and I liked it. 

In my forties I want to be home and eat home cooking and I have a job that allows for that.

This may be a simplification but you get the point.

So, when teenagers are trying to pick a career, they should be thinking about what they want to do for the next ten years or so, not the rest of their life. If they want their evenings and week-ends free then pursue a nine to five gig. If they want to talk to a lot of people find a public facing job.

It's all about building your skill set to get the job you want to fit the lifestyle you want. If you don't have a job that fits with your lifestyle, start looking for one that does.

Most importantly, we need to get educators and parents to grab this idea. We need to match careers with lifestyles so people will be more likely to stay in their job. How you see the world makes different attributes of the job a benefit or a liability. It all depends on what you want. The jobs I worked in for long periods of time gave me a life that I wanted and what I wanted has changed, so I have changed what I do to make a living. If we pass this on to the next generation, we will have happier people around us and life will be a little bit better.

Safe Spaces

We need safe spaces. We need to feel physically safe. We need to be able to take chances and do something something different. We need all that.

Universities need to be safe spaces. They are a place that a lot of people move away from home end up. In no way do I think that someone should feel physically threatened. However, when you are at university, you better feel intellectually threatened. One of my professors, he went by Rabbi Rose, said that if you don't question your beliefs, you should ask the university for your money back.

I've noticed a change in the world around me. So many people cut anyone with a differing opinion out of their life. This has created a big problem. 

A lot of what is going on in America is caused by groupthink. Their 'us versus them' mentality comes from not listening to the other side. If an idea scares you, then you should be exploring it. You should be trying to find out what they are saying and why you don't like it. Beyond that, you need to know why they believe it. 

The world needs more people understanding why not everyone looks at the world the same way. We are shaped by our experiences. We will not all have the same experiences so we need to understand what makes people happy, what makes them hate, and what makes people want to do better. However, because so many people cut out anyone they disagree with, close-minded nationalism is taking a hold of a lot of people. 

The good news is, this is easy to fix. Instead of sealing these people out of your life, talk to them. Find out what they are thinking and more importantly why they are thinking this way. You need to understand people who are different than you. People don't want to have the courage that their mind may be changed. I know it's scary to change your position but I think we all need to be open to that. It's the only way to make the world a better place.

I don't want your body to feel threatened but I really want your mind to be challenged because too many people are not expanding their minds and allowing themselves to be cut off from so much of the world.