A friend of mine shared this post with me called "because i'm a twentysomething" from the blog "Today was Meaningful."
This post was really timely for me and many of my friends. I'm always attracting the same kind of friend. They are all special and unique people, but if I were to place them in a category, they would all be in the same one. The category of friend I'm drawn toward is "Whole Hearted Passionate Artist Adventurer" Yes, that is all one title.
This free-spiritedness was charming for a few years, but some loved ones are starting to worry about those of us who are getting closer to thirty. Us near thirty or early thirty somethings are feeling worry creep up in ourselves too. It's weird to worry, and not in our nature. We are worrying about if we'll find our dream job, and moreover, if we'll actually get paid a living wage for it. We're worrying if we'll find partners before we're biologically too mature to have kids, or if we'll have the money situation squared away while we're young enough to have babies. This quarter-life crises thing never ends, it just keeps coming in waves of angst followed by calm.
Work, and the things work invites into our lives is a constant topic of exploration for us adventurers. Several weeks ago, we had a "Feelings Group" at work before we went into the field. One of my colleagues said she felt sad that she wasn't sure she could continue to do the things she wanted to do, because it wasn't financially feasible. Unfortunately this comment was misunderstood as a passive aggressive jab at how much we are being paid. In response an administrator suggested that we should be glad we have jobs.
Perhaps it's a generational gap, or perhaps it's a difference in personality. We adventurers are looking for far more than a paycheck. We are looking for an experience, and personal growth. Ultimately we want a balanced happy life that fuels our passions. We are looking for teamwork and community in our jobs. We want that teamwork amongst colleagues at our level as well as with our superiors. Adventurers look around and wonder if the job we love, and the work environment we want will support kids and pay for retirement. Administrator, sir, the worries expressed are far deeper than the current job.
This post was really timely for me and many of my friends. I'm always attracting the same kind of friend. They are all special and unique people, but if I were to place them in a category, they would all be in the same one. The category of friend I'm drawn toward is "Whole Hearted Passionate Artist Adventurer" Yes, that is all one title.
This free-spiritedness was charming for a few years, but some loved ones are starting to worry about those of us who are getting closer to thirty. Us near thirty or early thirty somethings are feeling worry creep up in ourselves too. It's weird to worry, and not in our nature. We are worrying about if we'll find our dream job, and moreover, if we'll actually get paid a living wage for it. We're worrying if we'll find partners before we're biologically too mature to have kids, or if we'll have the money situation squared away while we're young enough to have babies. This quarter-life crises thing never ends, it just keeps coming in waves of angst followed by calm.
Work, and the things work invites into our lives is a constant topic of exploration for us adventurers. Several weeks ago, we had a "Feelings Group" at work before we went into the field. One of my colleagues said she felt sad that she wasn't sure she could continue to do the things she wanted to do, because it wasn't financially feasible. Unfortunately this comment was misunderstood as a passive aggressive jab at how much we are being paid. In response an administrator suggested that we should be glad we have jobs.
Perhaps it's a generational gap, or perhaps it's a difference in personality. We adventurers are looking for far more than a paycheck. We are looking for an experience, and personal growth. Ultimately we want a balanced happy life that fuels our passions. We are looking for teamwork and community in our jobs. We want that teamwork amongst colleagues at our level as well as with our superiors. Adventurers look around and wonder if the job we love, and the work environment we want will support kids and pay for retirement. Administrator, sir, the worries expressed are far deeper than the current job.
No comments:
Post a Comment