1 man, 1 year, and 52 jobs in search of passion
Here’s the standard path of young adults today:
1. Pick a college and a major by the time you’re a senior in high school.
2. Graduate high school.
3. Go to college for four years.
4. Graduate college with a degree in the subject you’ve majored in and are passionate about.
5. Go out in the real world and find a job in your field.
6. Live happily and fulfilled…
Sounds good on paper, right? Well how many of us can choose what we want to do with the rest of our lives when we’re in our teens or early twenties? Not many. But unfortunately the system is set up for the few.
So what is one to do to keep from getting stuck in a job they hate and to find what drives them and what they’d enjoy for the rest of their life? Perhaps you could take a year and work a different job in a different field every week, for 52 weeks?
Sound unrealistic? Well Sean Aiken did just that.
In 2005, Sean Aiken graduated college with a degree in Business Administration, but he didn’t really know what he wanted to do with his life. Instead of just accepting it, getting a job in a cubicle, and “living” his life; Sean set out on a unique journey. A journey in search of passion instead of a career. He called his journey “The One Week Job Project.”
Here’s a video clip from The One Week Job Project website that describes the idea.
Sean, along with his friends, produced a documentary of the project and Sean has just released a book telling the journey entitled The One-Week Job Project: 1 Man, 1 Year, 52 Jobs.
Sean has graciously given Lyved the opportunity to ask him a few questions about this project and passion.
What advice do you have for those who can’t make a living out of their passion?
I learned that we don’t necessarily need to make a living out of our passion in order to be happy at work – there are many other factors that contribute to our job satisfaction. When I asked my coworkers what they liked most about their job, the common answer I heard was the people they worked with. It wasn’t so important what they were doing, or if it was their passion, but far more important was who they were doing it with.
Another factor I observed was that those who were the happiest in their careers were the ones who had a vision of how they were contributing to something greater than themselves. It mattered that they showed up to work each day because they contributed something valuable, and something was made better because of their work. For example, I worked on an organic dairy farm with a guy named George. The job demands long hours, very hard work, early mornings – after a couple of days I thought, “How can anyone enjoy this job?” But George seemed to love it. To George, he was providing food for thousands of people while contributing to the environment with his organic farming practices. He understood the significance of his job and that’s where he derived his job satisfaction.
I’d say if you can’t make a living out of your passion look for other ways in which you can fulfill your passion outside of work. I think it’s important to take a good look at your passion and think about different ways in which it could be fulfilled at work. For Week 22, I was a Radio DJ. On my last day I sat down with the radio station’s program director, Scott. I asked Scott, “How did you get involved in Radio. Did you always know that this is what you wanted to do?”
He said, “If you ask most people in radio where they started out, we’re all kind of failed musicians really. Truthfully we’d rather be the people making the music, but to be involved in music in some way, that’s where the passion lies.”
Even though Scott is not what he originally thought he wanted to be as a rock star, he loves his job. He still works in the same industry, deals with the same people, and is still able to cultivate his passion for music. We can’t all be rock stars, but it doesn’t mean we have to end up in a completely unrelated field – maybe we’d be just as happy being the person who hands the rock star their guitar.
The economy has changed a lot since you started this project in 2007. Do you think young people are forgetting about passion and are just finding any job that pays enough because of the current economy?
I think that a lot of young people don’t realize that it takes a lot of work to find a career you’re passionate about and still earn enough money to pay the bills, especially in today’s economy. There’s no problem with taking a job to pay the bills, the important thing is to not lose sight of where you’re heading, to continue developing your skills, and taking steps toward achieving the job that best suits you. I heard many stories over my year of people who took jobs for various reason, sometimes financial, and then 10 years later they realized that they are still in the same position that was supposed to be “temporary” and they’d lost sight of their original career goals.
Most college graduates have a ton of student loan debt, so do you have any tips on how they can find a balance where they can explore their passions but also earn some money to pay back their debts?
I think it’s more important to uncover the characteristics you need in a career to be happy then it is to uncover your passion. We do this through gaining experience, so merely by entering the work force we start to learn about the things that we like to do, the things that we are good, become more valuable to a future employer, and begin to pay back those nagging student debts.
What advice do you have for parents that aren’t too sure about their daughter or son trying to make a living out of their passion and by blazing their own trail?
Leave them alone. Support their decision. I think if someone has a genuine desire to pursue their passion, blaze their own trail, and yet they don’t go after it whole heartedly at some point in their life, they will undoubtedly experience a pang of regret. The younger we are when we do this the better.
Trying a bunch of things that seem interesting is probably one of the best ways to find a passion because of the hands-on experience. However, not everyone can try 52 jobs. So are their some other ways that people can find new passions?
Continue to develop your self-knowledge, try new things, volunteer, speak to people in different professions that interest you…
Even though you’re tried 52 different jobs, are there any more you’d like to try?
By the end of the year I had a lot of different offers, but I’m happy with the ones I chose. There was one job offer with bestselling author Seth Godin that I wish I was able to accept, but unfortunately the logistics didn’t work in my favor.
What kind of criticism have you been faced with during this project and how have you reacted and kept going?
I’ve received some cynicism towards the project but I try and remember that any unjustified criticism is likely rooted in their unhappiness with their current situation, and that it has nothing to do with me. I know why I’m doing what I’m doing and that’s all that matters – if people are able to learn as a result of me sharing my experience, great, if not, then that’s okay too.
Of the 52 jobs you did, what was the most nerve-wracking and why?
Yoga Instructor. I’d never stepped foot inside a yoga studio until that Monday morning, and then to be faced with the challenge of teaching class the Friday was extremely nerve-wracking. I attended 6 hours of classes a day, sometimes participating, sometimes taking notes about the instructor’s techniques, and then stood up and taught my first class on Friday. Very nerve-wracking, yet also very rewarding.
So Sean, what do you want to do with the rest of your life?
You’ll have to read the book to find out! 
It’s called The One-Week Job Project: 1 Man, 1 Year, 52 Jobs, published May 4, 2010 by Random House.
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The project is ambitious, exciting, and inspiring. I recommend that you please check out The One-Week Job Project book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, IndieBound, or Random House. And please connect with Sean, on The One Week Job Facebook page and by following him on Twitter.
Book cover image courtesy of Random House
Have you found happiness, contentment and fulfillment in what you do? I have and I’m loving every minute of it.
This is a guest post.
Three years ago, I was happy, successful and working in a different industry. My associate and long time friend walked into my office and asked me what I thought about creating a Facebook-like social network for the 12 Step recovery community. I sat there for a second and yelled; “YES, of course, let’s do it!” We haven’t looked back since.
That was April 26, 2007 when we began our journey into the social networking world, which is usually inhabited by 20 and 30 something Internet gurus and nerds. My cofounder, Ken Pomerance and myself Ron Tannebaum, are anything but – we are both Baby Boomers, in the 50 something category, or in other words Internet dinosaurs, but that did not deter us.
We chose a great name, no, the best name for a recovery site; In The Rooms. In The Rooms is a term used in all 12 step fellowships (AA, NA, GA, OA, etc.) that helps maintain our anonymity. For example, instead of saying to someone at a party, “Didn’t I see you at an AA or NA meeting” I would say “Don’t I know you from In The Rooms.”
After choosing our name we started developing our vision on a yellow legal pad which quickly transcended onto the back of one of my daughter’s science boards. Our idea and vision came naturally and quickly. Since we both have been in long term recovery for over a quarter of a century, we knew what we would want in a social network for the global recovery community.
In The Rooms was born.
We created a FREE online social network dedicated to the global recovery community for people seeking help, in recovery and their family, friends and allies of recovery worldwide. Our mantra is the acronym HITCH, to Help, Inform, Touch, Connect and Heal. And our mission is to augment or enhance traditional 12 step and other recovery programs by offering a place to not only find like-minded people but also people who share the same interests, passions and hobbies. The site helps connect people with other recovering people around the world, creating a supportive environment and community.
In The Rooms transcends the boundaries of all 12 step fellowships socially, while keeping the integrity intact by having individual groups for each fellowship. For the first time in history, In The Rooms provides social interaction between fellowships not found when attending regularly scheduled meetings. We are actively bringing together members of the global recovery community socially to experience a vast array of tools that can be used to enhance and expand ones recovery, experience and social connectedness. We designed In The Rooms for those not as fortunate as us, who can’t get to a meeting everyday or who need support in places where it’s hard to find or are home bound because of illness. We are not only a lifeline for many but we also save lives.
In the beginnings, In The Rooms world headquarters was my house. We began assembling a team with our limited budget, financed by myself and hired a part time developer and web designer to build a platform and make it look good. Before we began our fund raising we set out to California to meet with some social networking successes to listen and learn.
Ken and I put together a power point presentation that we could take with us on our quest for investors. I think we used the power point once before we realized how boring it was and just started explaining our vision. We let our honesty and passion speak for itself. It worked. The first ten people we presented our business plan wrote us a check and we were on our way to make our dream become a reality.
Ken and I both know from being in recovery to let things happen naturally, and that they did. We were on a spiritual journey toward our number one goal, getting In The Rooms ready for launch. Everything was happening the way it was supposed to happen, one person introduced us to another, one door closed another one opened. For example, we were introduced to a new design team, three wonderful guys who own Macias Advertising in Miami, and they joined our team and created our new In The Rooms logo, look and identity. At about the same time we met an old friend of mine from childhood at a funeral who’s company later became our new tech partner and now In The Rooms was ready to launch. We even eventually moved our offices into the In The Rooms loft.
In The Rooms has been growing ever since. Since our inception and launch on October 6, 2008, In The Rooms has become the number one trafficked recovery based social network in the world with over 80,000 members, in over 50 countries and over 218,000 years of recovery in just 18 months. In The Rooms currently has 18 different 12 Step fellowships represented and there is more to come. We feature a vast speakers tape library, daily meditations, a worldwide meeting list for AA, NA, GA and OA, blogs, forums, discussions, four ways to communicate including private and instant messaging, comments and status updates. In The Rooms has over 1200 affinity groups to choose from or you can start a group of your own that fits your needs.
There is a recovery movement and In The Rooms is leading the way. We want to put a positive face on recovery. Those in recovery are no longer just the person living under the bridge or pushing a grocery cart aimlessly in the streets. We are the moms and dads, aunts and uncles, grandparents, your favorite teachers, judges, doctors, priests, rabbis, ministers, plumbers, lawyers, legislators and your next-door neighbors. Recovery is an asset not a liability.
We look back and compare the recovery movement today to the breast cancer movement 30 years ago when the word cancer was whispered, not spoken aloud. Now where can we go and not see a Pink Ribbon? Those recovering from addiction are responsible members of society and the old myth is dead. Addicts and alcoholics do not have to die from their addictions, we do recover and recovery is an asset not a liability.
Since that day in April 2007 when I made the decision to join Ken and move forward to create In The Rooms, the best recovery site the world had ever seen, my life has made a significant change spiritually. I wake up everyday feeling whole, knowing I am doing something that is good for the global recovering community and humanity at large. I cannot wait to get to our offices, The In The Rooms loft everyday. I have truly found what drives me. It is my passion
for helping others and standing up for what I believe in. I have realized now that my feelings of happiness and fulfillment is an inside job and comes from opening my heart and giving back to others unconditionally. I’m loving every minute of it.
Written By Ron Tannebaum
Please visit us at www.intherooms.com or become a fan on our Facebook page at facebook.com/intherooms or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/intherooms.
A Mother’s Perspective On Raising A Child with Mental Illness
This is a guest post relating to Mother’s Day and Mental Health Awareness Month.
Healing is a family process, as every mother knows. When a child has a broken leg, other family members pitch in to help manage crutches or carry loads. The immediate needs are obvious. But when a family member is afflicted by a severe mental illness – schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression — the role of the family may not be as clear even though it is just as important.
As a mother of a son who was diagnosed with schizophrenia 19 years ago – and who has recovered to live a full life – I know what an important part family plays in healing. My son, Brandon, was first diagnosed when he was 19 years old after his freshman year in college. That moment marked the beginning of our long effort to help him recover and reclaim his life.
Hearing such a diagnosis for the first time is a terrible shock. But as a parent, you cannot allow shock to immobilize you. You have to be able to provide support and do the kinds of things that can help your child recover. My husband, Garen, and I learned that lesson very quickly, as well as many others over the course of Brandon’s treatment and recovery. Now, when other parents ask me what they can do to help their child recover from a major psychological disease, I tell them five things them must do.
1. Hope
Know that a person with severe mental illness can get better with the proper therapy and medications. This will not be an easy or speedy process. There will most likely be setbacks and disappointments along the way. But today these diagnoses are not the psychological equivalent of a death sentence. Knowing that a person with mental illness can get better provides an essential psychological boost, not only for the patient but for the rest of the family as well.
2. Educate
As with any other disease, when you first hear the diagnosis you find yourself asking, “What happened? Where did we go wrong?” That was my husband’s and my first reaction. So the first thing we did was talk to a psychologist about the physical underpinnings of this disease. And he told us that it wasn’t anybody’s fault. It was something that happened, and no one knows why. So that helped us a lot, and it’s important for every family member to understand: it’s about chemistry, not character. Learning as much as possible about a loved one’s illness helps both the patient and the family.
3. Structure
Whoever gets sick must have a structured schedule every day so they have something to help them stay in contact with the outside world. It’s not good if they become just lost souls with nothing to do. They won’t have a feeling of self-worth; they will have lost a sense of purpose. The family can help provide that structure. In our own story, we always set a place at the table for Brandon for dinner or lunch or whatever it was. He could sit as long as he wanted or get up and leave whenever he wanted, but he knew that each day there was a place for him at our family table. Having more structure to his life in this and other ways allowed Brandon’s sense of well being to blossom over time.
4. Reduce stress
The first thing that we know about these diseases is that they are physiologically based, and, secondly, that they are generally environmentally triggered. We don’t know what all the environmental triggers are, but we do know that stress is one of them – and it could be physical stress or psychological stress. Stress is also a common trigger for setbacks in the treatment of mental illness. So family members can help in the recovery process by making the home environment as stress-free as possible. For example, if you have to take a trip or keep an appointment, allow extra time to get ready so there’s no last-minute rushing. Keep interactions with all family members even and low key.
5. Never give up
The hardest thing any parents will ever go through is seeing their child suffer for a long period of time. But never give up, even in the most difficult moments. There may be times when the afflicted person may blame you or even turn against you, but you still need to continually let them know that you love them and are standing by them. No matter what you have to face, you must provide love and support. That’s over and above any other piece of advice.
Remember that all of your efforts are aimed at helping your loved one recover. And what does recovery mean? It means that the person can be a productive individual again. That they can work; they can go to school; they can have social relationship and personal relationships. We have reached that point in our family. Today, Brandon is working as marketing communications director and website writer for our Staglin Family Vineyard. As Mother’s Day approaches, I am looking forward to spending it with my son and his wife, and our daughter, Shannon, who’s seven years younger than Brandon. For me, this is what healing and recovery means.
Written by Shari Staglin, STAGLIN FAMILY VINEYARD , Rutherford, CA
Shari and her husband Garen represent a true family approach to their involvement in the wine industry and their dedication to the Staglin Family Vineyard. Actively involved for almost 25 years in the wine industry, the Staglins’ motto is “great wine for great causes” and through their operation of Staglin Family Vineyard and support of various charitable causes, they have indeed lived up to that philosophy. In the last ten years, causes they have chaired or donations from their wines have generated almost $700 million.
Shari and Garen are founders of the Music Festival for Mental Health, a 501c(3) non-profit organization. During the last fourteen years, the Music Festival has raised over $83 million for mental health charities and research. This annual event, held at their vineyard, includes an afternoon concert for 400 (past year’s performers have included Brian Wilson, Gladys Knight, the Pointer Sisters and Roberta Flack), and an evening gourmet dinner for 200 by a celebrity chef, with wines donated and poured by many of the nation’s best wineries.
Shari was a leader in health care management and recruiting for many years before becoming CEO of Staglin Family Vineyard.
Shari holds a BA from UCLA and an MPA from NYU.
Flower photo by Zanastardust
An attempt at answering some of life’s biggest questions
You’ve probably stayed up late in the night thinking about some of life’s biggest unanswered questions.
I’ve decided to take some of life’s biggest questions and make attempts at answering them. And I’d like you to do the same. We’d all love to hear your ideas! Please post in the comment section below.
Why do we exist?
This has to be the biggest question in life. Why do we even exist?
To try to figure out an answer, there’s two ways to look at this; with a small perspective and a wider one.
With the wider perspective, you look at the entire human race or the Earth and why either were created. Perhaps we’re some kind of experiment by a higher being or higher beings. Or maybe we’re just an accident. No one knows the correct answer and maybe no one will ever know. That’s why I like to look to the smaller perspective for meaning and answers.
The smaller perspective is about looking at yourself, those around you, and other individuals. It’s a more personal “why do we exist?”. This is where tons of answers can be conceived. We each have our own unique purposes and purposes that we share (You can learn more about figuring out your purpose in this article.) Here are just a few:
We are meant to be brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends, grandparents.
We are meant to be there for others.
We are meant to help others.
We are meant to be unique.
We’re meant to be happy and share happiness.
And we’re meant to not waste the time we’re given.
Why must there be sadness and negativity?
As much as I would love to live in a Utopian world where everyone is happy and no heartaches exist; there’s a reason for negativity and sadness.
Negativity and sadness make happiness and positivity precious and that much more sweet and enjoyable. Without sadness and negativity; there would be no positivity or happiness.
Why do we have to die?
So that we’re driven to live!
What is after death?
Each of us will eventually find out.
Personally I have a hard time believing that there is nothing else after life. Most of us put a lot of work into our lives and to arrive at a dead-end, no pun intended, just doesn’t make sense.
But then again a whole lot in life doesn’t make any sense. So maybe sometimes in life it’s better to just keep questioning and not find answers because the wonder and pursuit is what makes life interesting and worthwhile.
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” – Albert Einstein
What do you think about these questions and other of life’s biggest questions? Again, please share in the comments below.
Photo by laurakgibbs
Do get your hopes up – just know what to do if things don’t work out
Have you ever been excited and enthusiastic about something like a new opportunity and then have someone say; “don’t get your hopes up”? I’m sure that’s happened to you many times.
You were happy, positive, motivated, and confident, and then all that came crashing down.
The person warning you not to get your hopes up probably meant well. They didn’t want your bubble to burst if things didn’t work out. However, they don’t realize that they’re bursting your bubble before it even gets a few inches floating off the ground.
Do get your hopes up!
Now I know you want to live with hope, passion, and excitement. So do just that! DO get your hopes up. DO get excited at even with the smallest of chances. You should face every new opportunity and change with hope and enthusiasm.
When things don’t work out
Even with your hope and excitement, a lot of times things aren’t going to go as you wished or planned for. So what do you do?
It’s all about maintaining your hopeful, positive, and enthusiastic attitude and mindset. You’re going to be able to create and seize new opportunities in the near future, but not without this.
It’s as simple as that, on paper at least. It will certainly be hard to react to a let-down with a positive outlook every single time. It’s going to take a ton of practice and self-reminding, but completely worth it.
Share your thoughts
How do you react to a let-down? Please share in the comments below.
Article photo by Yandle
