WORK
I count myself lucky that I’ve ended up doing what I love in life, as a means of earning a living.
I followed the herd until I left university, doing things I thought sounded sensible, the thing you ought to do that would make you money. As a result, I very nearly ended up being an urban chartered surveyor. In fact, I was offered a job without even asking for one by a well-known Edinburgh Property company and would have earned good money.
But luckily a friend of mine walked into my room one day while I was revising for my resits and said “Why don’t we buy a video camera and start a filming business!” With that one sentence a whole adventure opened up which has so far not ended.
If anyone asks me now what they should do in life, I would say “Work out what your natural gifting and aptitudes are and head towards those things, even if not in a straight line”. Now, I realise not everybody is sure of these things, so you may need both time and support to work those things out. If you are a natural welcomer, why not head towards hospitality? If you love caring for people maybe head in the direction of the nursing profession or social work. If you love working outdoors, try not to take a job where you will be sitting at a computer most of the day, spending a lot of time in meetings.
A few years ago, I met a young guy called Lee who made furniture. He was in his early 20s but already a master at his craft. He was also a complete delight to work with. When I asked him about it, he said that at a young age, although he grew up in a relatively poor home, he got a chance to visit the Chippendale museum, and was gobsmacked by what he saw. He decided that this was what he wanted to do with his life and got an apprenticeship at a furniture restorer. Putting his all into that, as you can imagine, he was soon promoted and then went freelance. My only sadness is that he is now so in demand that he only ever made one thing for us - an oak coat rail which I think will probably last 100 years or more. I’ve met a lot of people like this,
One of the worst experiences in life is encountering somebody who is doing a job they do not enjoy. Not only is it not much good for them, but it is always pretty unpleasant to be on the receiving end of it. Like when I go into a Premier Inn and there is somebody behind the counter, who clearly is more interested in the computer than they are in guests.
We were all created for something. We owe ourselves a duty to find out what it is and live it to the full. The money, I believe will follow naturally from that so you won’t have to chase it. If you feel you need help finding your thing or you’re stuck in something you hate, feel free to give me a call.
