Why do you do what you do?
Your career, your hobbies, your routines, the actions you take and those you don’t.
Why do you do these things? … It’s an important question – and, often a question with no real answer. Most people live a life without a “why.” Without real purpose.
Every day, I see a sign in the staff lounge at my workplace that states “remember your why!” Placed in such a location to draw as many eyes as possible, I imagine. The one place in which all staff members will (likely) enter at some point throughout their work day.
Assuming that I enter the lounge at least once daily to use the printer – I’ve laid eyes on the sign somewhere between 300-900 times during my time here.
Is that sign the secret to a teacher’s success? A constant nudge to think back on why you took this career path? Probably not. But sure, it helps.
In an ever evolving job field, working as an educator carries its own set of baggage – just as any career does in some form. Some might argue that such baggage is more prevalent in a job as a teacher than most other careers, due to the excess of external factors and pieces to the “puzzle.”
Humor me as I attempt to draw a mental picture that details the intricacies that circulate through a career in education:
In most job places, you’ll work your day-to-day alongside other seemingly like-minded adults, whilst working “under” another set of adults whom you consider to be your superiors, or “bosses.” You may work with outside entities or partner companies, of course, filled with other working adults.
Now, imagine that each of your co-workers has 30 children assigned to them for whom they must provide adequate education. These children co-exist within your workplace, and intermingle with all of you on a daily basis. Your work and interpersonal relationships with co-workers are surrounded by each of these children. Now, of course you also have superiors – but, there is another layer that comes first. Each child has a set of parents who are interested (albeit to different degrees) in what is transpiring in your workplace. You must communicate with each of them to a degree of utmost professionalism and frequency. Your superiors, or “bosses” sit atop this hierarchy of mayhem, working to keep the ship afloat and sailing in the desired direction. Understandably, a ship that can be easily re-directed or sunk entirely.
It’s not all too unrealistic for someone to state that working as an educator carries a weight of its own, because, as (I think) I just laid out, there are a lot of moving parts. Many of which I didn’t even begin to mention: student behavior, outside threats, mental health, to name a few.
All of which hammers home the importance of “remembering your why.” Remember what it was that pointed you toward such a career. Remember the feelings associated with the highest of highs, when you’re at your lowest of lows.
But, what if you can’t remember the “why?” that first sparked your desire? Or, what if you remember it, all too well – and you’ve watched it fade away over time?
Let’s dive in.
It Was There, Where Did It Go?
Many will begin their adult lives with a clear “why” guiding their actions. Over time, it seems as though the “why” with which they began has slowly (or abruptly) faded into the abyss, nowhere to be found. Leaving them searching for answers.
Oftentimes a career simply doesn’t come close to completing a person. It doesn’t “fill their cup,” so to speak. There is more within them that needs to be expressed. They find themselves locked into an ever revolving door of monotony. Going through the motions.
One of the pioneers of modern-day ultra marathon running, Dean Karnazes spoke to this very point in his memoir “Ultra Marathon Man, Confessions of an All-Night Runner.” Dean was a very successful business man, working in marketing for a large financial institution out of San Francisco in the early 90’s. All of this prior to turning 30, and colliding head-on with what he thought at the time to be a premature mid-life crisis. Ultimately, coming to understand that he had lost his “why.”
Dean had a “why,” or so he thought. So, where did it go?
After a life-altering event; losing his sister in a car accident just as he approached adulthood, he worked tirelessly to channel the emotions set in place from that event. To use the negative emotions for “good,” – what he perceived to be good at the time.
This manifested in his life as follows: push incredibly hard through college, graduate with the highest honors, and hit the ground running with the same level of steam in whatever career he found himself in – and so he did.
Karnazes’ career was everything to him in his early 20’s. It represented and provided things that he’d never had: money and power. What more could a man want?
As it turns out, a lot.
On the night of Dean’s 30th birthday, he was out for dinner and drinks with some friends, and his wife, Julie. As the night dragged on, Julie decided to head home. Not long after, Dean decided to step out of the bar to clear his head as be began mulling over the emotions associated with such a “monumental” birthday. A brief walk home was all the time necessary to ignite a fire within him.
Over the next 7 hours, Dean covered over thirty miles – on foot. After a decade-long hiatus from running, this felt, in the moment, like the right thing to do.
At the end of this semi-psychotic adventure, Dean had come to the realization that his “why” was no longer within the corporate world, but in his human potential. This moment in time set in motion what has evolved into one of the most well-known ultra-marathon careers of all time.
Sure, there are some people out there who revel in the self-proclaimed glory of wealth and fortune. They will feed off such a thing for the entirety of their being. We call these people avaricious narcissists.
We’ve all heard the classic phrase “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”
Such a clever statement.
Although, I can’t help but question, is it entirely accurate? Meaning that if you are unhappy in your current state, be it your career, your location – whatever it is, is there really no greener pasture?
I’m here to state, quite contrary to popular belief, that there is a possibility of greener grass on that other side – and, that just because there was once a “why,” does not mean for certain that it still exists.
In my mind, it’s really fairly simple. The green grass is present where your “why” exists. That may not be where you find yourself currently, meaning that it may just be on the other side.
The other side of what? That depends entirely upon what stands between you and what you desire to attain.
Now, I’m well aware that it may seem as though I’m just spewing words for the sake of doing so – with no real meaning. I can assure you this is not the case. It’ll all begin to take form shortly.
Your Inner Voice Is A Real Thing
As I’ve stated many times before, my path to becoming an educator was far from linear. I had ample opportunities to point my sails in another direction. Ultimately discovering the reason(s) for “why” I wanted to take on such a career path, through many long days, and longer nights, college major changes, odd-ends jobs, and heartbreak.
Amidst a sea of uncertainty, a voice in my head continued me in this direction. Seems ridiculously cliche, I understand – but it’s true.
I’m confident in saying that any living person experiences an inner voice on a daily basis. But what is it, exactly?
The voice that you may hear from time to time is a real thing, and its honesty forgoes all mental barriers that you’ve put in place to “protect yourself” – for better or for worse. A positive and a negative voice – often referred to as the angel and the devil on your shoulders. This phenomena is due, in part, to two separate brain functions. The positive voice comes from your “left brain,” or, scientifically speaking, the superior temporal sulcus. On the flip side, a voice as such will often attempt to hold you back, to perceive a situation as negative and not worth pursuing. This is due to your “right brain” or your inferior parietal lobule.
Coincidentally, both sides of your brain can (and will) guide you toward what it is that your heart and mind is longing for. Both can be used to your advantage.
Example:
One of my favorite authors, Steven Pressfield, writer of “The War of Art” and “Govt. Cheese,” among many others, is an incredibly accomplished and renowned writer. Perhaps one of the most revered American writers of this generation?
Maybe that’s just my personal opinion getting in the way. Who knows.
Nevertheless, Pressfield has achieved tremendous success through his writing. Born in 1943, he spent a lifetime traversing wildly obscure job-fields. Working as an advertising copywriter, school teacher, semi-truck driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout, attendant in a mental hospital, and a fruit-picker in Washington state. All prior to publishing his first book, in 1995. At 52 years old.
What took him so long to publish a book, or even begin the process of writing a book? Why did he work such a myriad of jobs prior to obtaining the desire and drive necessary to sit down and write?
Pressfield has famously stated that deep within his psyche, he knew that writing was his calling. His two inner voices battled within his own mind for decades, before finally allowing him the ability to take a leap into what has now become a lucrative career as an author.
Some are born with a clear “why,” – knowing, wholeheartedly what fulfills their mind and body. Some (most) are not. Most often, it takes trials and tribulation – the aforementioned long days, and longer nights, college major changes, odd-ends jobs, and heartbreak to find your way, to find your “why.” Through the years of various jobs, and lonesome endeavors, Steven Pressfield acquired the assets and mental nuggets necessary to fuel his passion.
Similar to a path of my own, his was far from linear.
Maybe there is power in taking the path less traveled after all? A route that no one else has cared to consider, much less traverse. Though it seems to be a reccurring theme in my writing, I believe that its importance can’t be overstated.
Recognizing Resistance
So, what are we supposed to do about the voices in our head? The voices that ultimately guide us to and simultaneously restrain us from obtaining and conceptualizing our “why” – whatever it may be.
Ultimately, these voices serve no purpose but as mere resistance between where you are and where you could be headed.
Resistance is frequently understood as a negative term, understandably. However negative, resistance can be utilized for strength and growth if handled properly – used to formulate or simply re-discover your “why.”
A life of fulfillment and overall productivity requires a purpose behind your actions. Not necessarily in all pockets of life, at all times – as it’s nearly unattainable. But rather a piece of your life that serves as your “why.” Just as Dean Karnazes found his love for ultra-running amidst a search for meaning in his corporate career. Or a constant emergence of new ventures that act as stepping stones, like Steven Pressfield working a lifetime of peculiar jobs to conclusively drive and uncover his ultimate “why” as a writer.
If you don’t love your career, find something you do love. Something that fills your cup. By this, I certainly don’t mean that you should uproot your life in search of some “quick fix,” quitting your job in the process.
Rather, incorporate something new. Add something that will provide purpose for your days if your career alone isn’t cutting it. Take action and actively combat the negative inner voice attempting to pull you away from something that your heart and mind longs for. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to knit, enroll yourself in some classes or watch some videos. You’ve recently had this interest in acting? Join the local theater nearest you. You never know where it may lead you. Whatever it is, take the leap toward adding some purpose back into your life.
As you reflect on your own thoughts and actions, ask yourself the question I opened this article with: “Why do I do the things I do?” Additionally – perhaps more importantly, ask yourself “why do I not ___” (you fill in the blank.)
Both questions, although seemingly seeking opposing answers, will go a long way in your search for and exploration of your “why.”
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