Saturday 21 August 2010

Idle Inspiration


1. Do what you love
2. Do/try a lot of small things at once

These seem to be the twin themes of the career career and life change process.  Number 1 remains a mystery so for me 2 will be my route to change.

In order to get there I am going to have to de-institutionalise myself.  My Protestant work ethic is deeply engrained and will take some shedding.  Tom Hodgkinson (of The Idler fame) describes the corporate work ethic as asking you to be the person the company wants you to be.  And when this doesn't sit well, discomfort (actually he goes further) follows.  My values are out of synch with my workplace and this is one of the reasons I'm leaving.  I also have a personal set of work ethic drivers that are out of line with how I want to live and be.     

I feel like a frog who realised what was happening in time to jump out of the boiling pan.  Unfortunately one of my legs was a bit slow in getting out so I'm now hopping around in circles.  I'm out though, and that's a start.  Part of the answer lies in hopping less; for inspiration on a new way of living and some comfort that you're not alone (or weird) in wanting it, see:          

http://www.screwworkletsplay.com/2010/05/how-to-be-idle-and-still-be-a-success-a-video-interview-with-tom-hodgkinson/ 

It's wonderful stuff.


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