It’s Okay Not to Know

Turning What You Love into What You Do
By Patrick O’Connor

When it comes to turning what you love into what you do… It’s okay not to know. 

Do we really know?

Many people think they know (or should know) exactly what they want to do in career/life. This is an expectation in our society, evidenced by everyone asking us about it, especially when we were graduating high school and college. Many young people will offer a stock answer to this question just so people will stop asking them. This question is asked with good intentions because people are concerned and hopeful for someone’s future. Most people want what is best for the people they care about. 

The irony of this is, very few people know what they want to do at first; just ask them. And even people who are sure of themselves and convinced they know what they want to do often wind up in a place they never expected. And how many times have you heard (or maybe even said), “I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.” There seems to be no age limit to this statement. Even people who are gainfully employed and seem happy will say this. 

None of the 16 Road Less Traveled (RLT) subjects knew they would wind up where they did. A few were certain of their plans while others had no idea. And those who knew what they wanted to do wound up surprising themselves. For example, Joan Meggitt (vol 19) was positive about becoming a lawyer but wound up becoming a dance professor. She even describes her RLT to becoming a dance professor as “accidental.” She was a sophomore in college before she even took a dance class!

Here are two more examples: Tom Fulton (vol. 13) established and teaches at the Chagrin Falls Performing Arts Academy.  After college, he said he would never be a teacher. But 40 years later, he became a teacher. 40 years! Teaching became his second career, which he loves, after a successful career in almost every aspect of theatre. The RLT of George E. Miller II (vol.  12) is another good example. He went from working at the post office to creating his own niche in the art world, establishing himself as a one-of-a-kind child advocacy artist.  It seems that a big part of success is keeping your mind and options open; be flexible.

“It is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” ~Charles Darwin

Change the Conversation
We need to change the conversation from “What are you going to do now?” to “It’s okay not to know… as long as you are willing to find out.” 

Confucius tells us, “Find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” The emphasis is on “find.” All RLT subjects found what they loved. Good opportunities rarely find us. We must seek them out. But if you have no idea what you want to do, then how will you ever find it? 

Travel Tips from the Road Less Traveled (Vol 11) informs us that what people enjoyed doing early in life is a good indication of what they love. Each RLT included activities and interests during youth that connected later with jobs and career. Ask yourself, “What did I like to do when I was a kid?” Where did you spend most of your time… doing what? 

Many elementary school teachers loved playing school when they were kids. They usually played the role of the teacher. Did you have any hobbies or particular interests that you enjoyed or perhaps even “loved”? For example, maybe you liked to be outdoors, hiking, biking, camping, fishing and exploring. Think of all the career possibilities from these interests. It really makes no difference what it was (or is) because everything is an industry. You can find jobs and careers from almost anything and everything if you are willing to do the homework.

This is a time of flux in our society, when the pandemic and the economic crisis are shaking up established patterns in education and at work. This may be a great time for reinvention and new direction (think RLT), whether you’re in your 20s or your 60s.

So, rather than ask yourself or someone else, “What are you going to do?” consider inquiring about their interests, hobbies or what gets them excited. Focus the conversation toward what they liked to do as a teen. Then brainstorm and explore the options and possibilities from their answer. This exploration has become much easier by doing a simple internet search. A little effort coupled with some creativity and initiative and you should have lots of options. Those options can be the beginning of turning what you love into what you do.

Our next segment (10/20/20 publication date) will offer a few examples of how to explore some options.

Image courtesy AroundKent magazine