“As a culture, we’ve collectively bought into this lie that work has to be miserable.” – p. 5
Remember when you were in elementary school and older relatives asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up?
Some of you may have said a teacher, a lawyer, a veterinarian, or a basketball player. I used to tell people I wanted to work at a shoe store (this was mostly because I thought it was cool when I went to the shoe store and the sales clerk would use some sort of metal arm to get boxes of shoes that were out of reach).
In elementary school, there is no pressure to come up with a legitimate career path when adults ask you that question. In fact, most adults humor kids even when their dream jobs are not actual jobs. My mom was the only one with the heart to tell me that if I wanted to be able to support myself and have an actual career, I might want to consider owning a shoe store and not just working there to use the metal arm to reach the shoes on high shelves.
There comes a point, however, when you started to feel real pressure about a career choice. When you were a junior in high school, parents, relatives, teachers, guidance counselors, and peers begin to probe into your plans for “the future.” This pressure may have propelled you to make a rash decision and start down career paths that you were not really interested in. In Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work and Never Get Stuck (one of our April picks), Jon Acuff offers advice on how NOT to get stuck in your work.
Jon Acuff suggests that everyone needs to build a Career Savings Account in order to navigate the transitions in your career successfully. The equation looks like this:
(Relationships + Skills + Character) x Hustle = Career Savings Account
When it comes to your career, many things will happen that are outside of your control. Acuff reminds us, however, that we have to take responsibility for how we handle career moves (whether they be good or bad). He reminds us that, “Misery loves company, but company often multiplies your misery.” (p. 11) Don’t get stuck complaining about your circumstances while trudging to the office every day, do something about it! “Fear is not a dragon to be slain once, it’s an ocean to be swum daily.” (p. 17)
One of my favorite nuggets of wisdom that Acuff offered in this book was about transitioning from college to a career:
“I made the mistake of thinking you get a dream job when you graduate college. You don’t. The goal of your first job is to teach you how to have a job. You don’t know how to work when you graduate college. You trade three months of summer vacation for eight days off a year. You don’t think handling the transition takes some effort?” (p. 103)
Not only does Jon Acuff share his wisdom about navigating a career, he does it in such a way that had me laughing throughout the book. He even managed to reference Friends and Seinfeld (two of my favorite sitcoms). So do yourself a favor, go get a copy of this book and read it immediately. Every situation described in the book may not apply to you, but I can guarantee that there is something in the pages of Do Over for everyone.
Live, Love, Learn,
Candice & The Write Teacher(s)
PS – You may walk away from this book craving queso.
Did you get a chance to read it? What is your reaction? Leave a comment below with your thoughts and be sure to tag your copy of the book on instagram with #TWTBookshelf.