The Life You've Imagined

Whenever I come across a really good quote, I stop what I’m doing and write it down. I have a little pocket notebook I keep with me so I don’t lose track of new motivational, thought-provoking, and sometimes just plain funny ideas whenever I hear them.

Often in my daily life and work, I pull the quotes out for energy and inspiration. That goes back to some advice my career coach gave me years ago—to identify the things in your life that give you energy and do more of them. For me, powerful words can be a kind of fuel, like the little cups of Gatorade that people hand out to marathon runners as they pass.  Here, take this! Keep going!   

Most of my favorite quotes come from famous figures throughout history: Jackie Robinson, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others. But, they’re not always inspirational. Sometimes, they’re more cautionary in nature. And, sometimes, they hit a little too close to home. It was a Henry David Thoreau quote that led me to examine the issue of how we might want to think about success. Or perhaps, rethink it.

Thoreau said in his book, Walden, “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”

I have seen his quote in action many times in my past. Going back to my days at a financial services firm, I remember people working for ‘check day,’ the lone day in the year when bonuses were granted. The day that made it all worthwhile. And, the rest of the year, people were doing their jobs and walking the floors uninspired. To be fair, there were those who truly loved what they were doing. However, the vast majority were there for this annual ritual alone.

How many of us have felt the same way at some point in our careers—successful in our work, yet still unfulfilled by it? Regardless of compensation, can we truly consider ourselves successful without genuine passion for, and interest in the work that we do?

By no account, is this “quiet desperation” confined to the field of financial services. I have asked these same questions during my tenures at different types of companies, of different sizes, of people performing different functions. The most common responses went something like this: “I like what I do well enough. It pays the bills, and I like the people. But, it’s not like I get excited about coming to work.” 

If your definition of success includes being excited about coming to work (and, given the amount of time we all spend at the office, it should), you need to be honest with yourself about the work you’re doing. Are you inspired by your job? Do your daily tasks take energy away from you, or do they give you energy? Achieving success – real success – might require you to make a change.

Whether it’s tweaking a current role, looking for a new position in the same field, or changing fields completely is something that will be specific to your situation. However, the universal truth is that your goal, whatever it might be, is within your reach, provided you are armed with the energy and inspiration to act.

On that note, I want to leave you with another quote by Thoreau, this one a little more upbeat. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined!”

If you have a notebook handy, that one might be worth writing down.