Are You Living the Dream?
Mar 29th 2011adminAdvertising & Business & Lifestyle
I was struck by a paragraph in Aron Ralston’s book, 127 Hours (Now a Feature Movie!) where he states: “There’s a mostly unspoken acknowledgement among the voluntarily impoverished dues-payers of our towns that it’s better to be fiscally poor yet rich in experience – living the dream – than to be traditionally wealthy but live separate from one’s passions. There is an undercurrent of attitude among the high-country proletariat that to buy one’s way back into the experience of resort life is a shameful scarlet letter. Better to be the penniless local than the affluent visitor.”
Ralston tempers this with:
“(But the locals depend on the visitors to survive, so the implied elitism is less than fair.)”
Which side of this equation are you on? Supporting the “High Country Proletariat” with your hard-earned vacation pay? Or are you part of the “High Country Proletariat”? Whichever side of the equation you inhabit, do you ever wish you were on the other side?
While I am not a mountaineer or even a back-country hiker like Mr. Ralston, I do enjoy the outdoors. Whether it’s skiing, biking, fishing or running, my happiest times are when I’m out in the elements, (sun, snow, rain – whatever) enjoying the creation we are blessed to have at our doorstep. And yes, there are times when I wonder if I could give up the suburban life and become a full-time ski instructor, or a running coach. I think we all have a part of our brain that yearns for the other side of the fence. And there are those who have done it. I know several people who have followed their dreams and make a decent living out of their passion, whether it’s working outdoors or in music or animal care or human interaction.
Something that has stuck with me since my youth is an opening statement by a Farm Management lecturer at the Farm College I attended in England in the mid 1960’s. He said, “Whatever type of farming you enjoy doing, be that type of farmer. If you love dairy, be a dairy farmer. If you love raising pigs, be a pig farmer. If crops is your thing, be a crop farmer… and so on. You will never be happy or make much profit doing something you do not enjoy.” Though I left farming in the early 1970’s, this advice has stuck with me and I have tried to ensure that whatever career path I followed (and there have been many paths), the primary criteria always had to be that I enjoyed doing it.
Do I enjoy what I do at IC Signs? You’d better believe I do! I couldn’t go to work every day, thinking, “I don’t want to do this any more!” We have a great staff who are skilled in their jobs, some fabulously loyal customers, a happy work environment and we even make a dollar or two at the end of the day! What more can a person ask for? And on the weekends, you will find me playing the high country proletariat role, teaching people to ski, fishing and/or training for the next marathon. Life is VERY good!
How about you?
I love getting feedback. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. This is plug-in that allows you to leave a link back to your own site when you leave feedback. But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment. I’d love to hear from everyone.
Until next time,
Drew
Zoomit.ca on 29 Mar 2011 at 1:33 pm #
Are You Living the Dream? | ICSigns | Instant Custom Signs | Drew Brims…
While I am not a mountaineer or even a back-country hiker like Mr. Ralston, I do enjoy the outdoors. Whether it’s skiing, biking, fishing or running, my happiest times are when I’m out in the elements, (sun, snow, rain – whatever) enjoying the creation…
Peter Hiddema on 09 Sep 2011 at 3:42 pm #
Hi Drew,
I had the good fortune of meeting one of your staff last week – Jessica – who told me about your blog so I just read your latest entry. I really like your approach and fair-mindedness, as well as the obvious wisdom contained in what you said.
I’m very much a believer in doing what you love, and I’ve had the good fortune of sticking with that path for over 15 years now. There have been some rough patches – especially in the past few years – but the best path usually isn’t the easiest one. And, things are really starting to hum again now. Just wanted to wish you well and say “keep it up!”. I know that Jess really respects you as a boss and a person. Bravo!
If you ‘re curious, you can check out my blog. You can link there from my company’s website, or to their directly at http://www.peterhiddema.com/blog.
Very best wishes,
Peter.
P.S. My wife and I watched the movie “127 Hours” recently and really enjoyed it. But the most moving part, without a doubt, was the extra feature section where Aron talks about what he has learned and experienced since that event. I’m sure the book is well worth reading.
admin on 12 Sep 2011 at 1:49 pm #
Hi Peter,
Thanks for commenting on my blog. And thank you for passing on Jessica’s comments – they confirm that I’m on the right track as a manager. I think of myself more as a facilitator than a manager. It’s my opinion that people perform better with less intervention in their work as long as the manager is accessible for consultation whenever they need help.
Jessica is doing a fine job bringing new clients to us, which is what we need. I’m very pleased that she would confide in someone that she is happy in her work.
I look forward to keeping tabs on your blog.
Best regards,
Drew.