What is your trade-off for doing what you love to do? What is your trade-off for something you enjoy or want to have?
As I did the dishes, which I don’t like to do (but I do because I love to have a clean kitchen), I was thinking about a very intense conversation recently. The conversation was with a friend who is irritated over her current job situation.
My friend and fellow human resource professional, challenged me the other day, big time on my career advice. We both have similar views on what it takes to be successful, drive, talent, willingness to work hard, persistence, continuous learning and mastery, and doing the ‘right’ things, so what was the challenge?
For years, I have shared my career advice, “Do what you love, money follows.” Her challenge was that my career advice did not hold true in this economy and I need to change or update my message.
She said it is not longer possible to find a job you love, and make a living, therefore I should STOP giving out that advice. She said businesses continue to have increased costs and many are still in the mode of changing to fit the talent that is available, or cutting hours to avoid letting jobs and people go to meet payroll, or struggling with new and more expensive compliance regulations.
As we talked and discussed this I smiled, and her frustration explored with “Have you crawled under a rock?” Finally I asked her if she thought in my advice I was suggesting that everyone would have a job that was 100% what they loved or enjoyed doing, she nodded “yes” and added you just can be paid enough today to do only what you love.
By then I was laughing and feeling a bit misunderstood. I do believe my advice is sound in any economy and that if you “Do what you love, money follows.”
What I don’t believe for one minute is you get to do what you love 100% of the time or that you don’t have to also do things you might not like to do. Employers and customers pay you for results.
To get results there are some parts of all jobs that you may not “love” or “like” but doing those things are part of getting to do what you do love. Many people have said it in many ways such as ‘work’ is a four letter word, or ‘that is why it is called work’. One of my favorite messages on this topic is from Larry Winget, speaker and the “Pitbull of Personal Development®”. Watch Larry’s video clip and his message for yourself.
Look you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you work for and what you ask for in the world of business. You get paid for what you love because you are willing to do what it takes to get good at what you do and because you are will to do the things you don’t really like to do that go along with what you love to do. It works that way in any economy.
When you do what you love, you enjoy it, you are good at it, you are likely to use your talent to be the best in that area and you don’t mind the trade-offs or just adjust to them as part of the deal. If you don’t love living in a big city where the wages are higher, you love living in a small town and are willing to drive to the big city you can earn a higher wage. The commute is the trade-off. Trade-offs come in many forms.
For years I was willing to work the graveyard shift to gain different experience and I earned more per hour. Working the night shift was a trade-off to achieve my goals.
My advice is solid and it stands. For those who need the rest of the message spelled out I will do so, but it will take more than 6 words. In life, in work and in your career there are always trade-offs, “Do what you love, money follows” and may you be so blessed by doing what you love that all the trade-offs will be very inconsequential.
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