“I Gave Up Being Rich and Successful” — Marqui
I came upon an idea that was pointed out to me by a man who writes books about job interviewing. While I have known this all my life, it dawned on me that the question: “What gives you passion?” was always something that didn’t seem to mesh with the underlying question, which was would your passion match with the company’s goals and mission?
Since the beginning when I used to peruse the newspaper classified ads, I never seemed to fit with what was required. I constantly sighed with relish at the editing and writing jobs, art, anything to do with what I typically did in my free time. But, there was always a catch, those jobs seemed to have a sobering reality: Very little pay, highly competitive, long hours to the point that an editor/transcriber friend of mine wore carpel tunnel gloves on her hands. She was renting, and I don’t think she had healthcare. That was twenty years ago. I have no idea what she is doing now.
Advertising, which seemed related to the kinds of things I did on a day-to-day basis when I wasn’t working my “day job,” usually related to some giant corporation that certainly didn’t really share my cathartic goals and values, except by the corporate heads, who put expensive art on their walls, but who only saw it as investment property and I doubt could connect with it as Tolstoy explained.
But, the interviewing expert revealed a secret I could follow. He said that the interviewer(s) were looking for passion that aligned with their mission statement, goals, and values. All I needed to do was find a company with whom I aligned and frankly call it a day, because the only thing that mattered to me was being passionate about my work and “succeeding” in that, not so much in terms of making vast sums of money. Not that that isn’t OK, but it always meant that I had to compromise myself in some way that made making the money a greater negative than the joy I got in not having to compromise. An example of this is when you apply for a “writer’s job” only to find out that you are making cold calls and getting as much information as you can from those willing to talk to you and not yell, as in telemarketing.
I have held jobs that were “jobs” in the sense that in all those whomp up meetings, I would cringe, because I wasn’t interested at all in their inherent blatant moves to get people’s money. Only later did I realize that in my job, I could share my heart and give the customer the love that they were really seeking. I think that’s where business aligns with the truth. It’s that people need other people and they need to be loved. But, as an artist, I want to satisfy them by means of a method that allows me to also be in love with my work. I feel like this is where we are heading.
Corporations have a bottom line, for example, and various mouths to feed, like investors, who are kind of out of the picture making demands on an ecosystem that can’t really sustain them unless they are on the ground with everyone else because then they know what is truly being asked of the employees. Everybody has to pitch in and no one can be left aside. I am kind of like that. I have to know everyone is doing OK or it affects me as what I am doing is shallow or hurtful.
I spent 27 years as a Union activist at one job. I was a member at another location that went through a strike that I caught on film and was in a juried art show with photos. I care about people. I don’t like that they are exploited. So, those are some of my values.
Now when I consider what I love to do, like painting, drawing, photography, writing, music, singing, reviewing (art, movies, books), critiquing, briefing cases, writing memoranda, remodeling, designing building complexes, and loving people I want to be doing that. Life is short. I mean really.
I heard last night a doctor say that people are coming into the hospital with a cough they’ve had for 4–5 days and he says you need to talk to all your people and get things settled because once I intubate you, you might not wake up. And he meant that. On average, those critically sick with Coronavirus will die in 30 days.
They say current unemployment checks will get people through four months, but they are also saying that this pandemic will last for months and depending on whether we stay at home, it may last indefinitely until it works its way through the population. We are not in front of it.
So, while we may be forced to get practical with our employment ambitions and just accept that our work lives are going to be akin to slavery, or we can at least start to imagine the kind of company we want to work for. Even companies like GM, who have acted quickly to build ventilators, medical health professionals, who risk their lives for others, and any number of professions that put their lives on the line, may, in fact, have deep appeal to who we are as persons. We can empathize with their great sacrifices and fears. Maybe in the context of these jobs, where missions and goals of the companies are great, we can employ our skill set and passions. This might be the key. Where can I help with people who think like I do? Who are members of my Tribe? Who do I admire deeply?
