Do What You Love = BS

[It's me]

Came across a link to this on askamanager.org

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/01/in-the-name-of-love/

In summary: a very few highly visible people get to do fun, creative stuff, proclaiming "do what you love". At the same time a large majority of the rest of us work most to pay the bills and are the ones that keeps everything running.

[MoonCat]

Yeah, I've always hated that stupid saying, "do what you love and the money will follow." It doesn't work that way for everybody. I understand that hard work and commitment are necessary to make a go of anything, but even then it doesn't always work out.

ETA: That essay is brilliant. I never connected all those elements before...fascinating.

[XCashier]

"Do What You Love"

Hmph. Most of us are lucky if we can "Do What You Tolerate"!

[Antisocial_Worker]

This sort of saying falls under the same category that "Live each day as if it were your last," does. If I were doing what I love or living each day as if it were my last, I'd be eating Korean food and frozen yogurt, playing video games, reading novels in the bathtub, and scratching myself while I watch TV.

That's not exactly lucrative.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

"Do What You Love"

Hmph. Most of us are lucky if we can "Do What You Tolerate"!

Tell me about it. People like that usually aren't saddled with debt and/or disabled family members they are trying to support on their own either.

Sorry Charlie . . . my life has been "doing what's necessary to survive" instead of "doing what I love."

If I could do that, I'd be out in Hollywood writing scripts for a revamped "Man From UNCLE" series and NOT just barely getting by working full time in a grocery store. I could take that little jerkweed and give him quite a few earsful.

[sms001]

Good points in the article, for sure. The one that's always bothered me most is what about all those jobs that are unlovable but must be done? Who does those? It's always seemed like a more-than-a-little-elitist catchphrase to me.

[flybye023]

Yeah, I've thought for some time that that was BS. For one thing, even if you're doing "what you love" if you're doing it day in and day out there will always be a level of routine and boredom with it.

Also, I've never found something I "love" to do that I could or would want to make a living at. However, I've found that I am pretty satisfied with a job as long as the people are nice and they keep me busy. I can do a lot of routine stuff as long as there's plenty of it and I'm not left twiddling my thumbs for hours at a time.

[Tama]

If you REALLY love the work, though...the repetitive work wouldn't be so bad.

I'd love to write for Batman comics. But odds are low of that and I doubt I would be hired without...I don't know, a big portfolio...

[smileyeagle1021]

I always preferred the flip of that cliche "love what you do"
The first is about being delusional enough to believe that simply by doing something you will be successful, the latter is about a healthy attitude of recognizing that you are going to have to do what you have to do and you might as well make the most of it.