A lot of conversation has been sparked on LinkedIn about living the dream of walking down our ideal career paths.  One I found particularly insightful was with Rob Severson, Author of “Connecting Peace, Purpose & Prosperity.”

Rob Severson:   



I have had a great career having done many different things with one company. Since leaving I have had even more experiences and have only had one contract relationship that I didn’t like. 
I think the key is to view one’s work as a service to others, employer, customer and co-worker. The more narcissistic we get the harder it is to enjoy any job

Michelle Randall: I agree with you Rob. An attitude of service, collaboration and gratitude are really the keys for enjoyment.

I don’t know what you mean by narcissism in your comment. If it’s about having an attitude that screams “I’m owed a better job” instead of someone putting their back into it I entirely agree.

I do think that really doing the work to conceptualize and pursue is our responsibility. It’s not narcissistic in any way.

Rob Severson: I have met many people who seem to believe that work is a bad thing and that they want something that will fit their needs totally. Time off, hours, benefits etc are their total focus. I managed 43 people at one time and the people who thought that way usually were not the people with opportunity. I don’t think there is a job that would please some; they think the job is meant to please them. When one gets out of the “please me” mode it helps in everything we undertake. I have learned the concept of “it’s not about me” and when I focus on that I find myself to be more giving, caring and helpful to everyone I meet. That gives me peace, friends, lessens over spending and gives me purpose in everything I do. I am not totally behaving this way! But I am working on it.

Michelle Randall: It sounds like we’re on the same page. I think people are in ‘please me’ mode – great phrase! – when they’re not happy or passionate about what they’re doing. ‘Please me’ is like asking the team or employer to compensate for the discomfort of being in the wrong job in the first place.

I believe an ideal career path is about aligning passion, personality and purpose with a career and ultimately a job. When these things are in alignment then the focus is shifted to creating the maximum value and opportunity with my time possible.

A client has a great phrase, “Don’t chase the dollars. Chase opportunity.” To me that speaks to the spirit we’re describing.

What do you think?

This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 8:46 am and is filed under General, Life First!, LinkedIn. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.