When we work with clients who are unhappy with their job, we often start with a very basic question:
Why do you go to work?
Is it just for money? A means to pay the bill, create assets and hopefully do what you really want to do once you have retired? I hope not!
Lessons from a Brazilian fisherman
This classic Brazilian story demonstrates how absurd it can be if we work simply to create freedom and fulfilment in the future:
A wealthy businessman walks along a beach in a small Brazilian village. He stops to watch a fisherman pulling in his catch of the day and starts a conversation:
Businessman:
How long did it take you to catch all that fish?
Fisherman:
Not very long.
Businessman:
Why did you not stay longer to catch more fish? It’s early in the day.
Fisherman:
This is enough for me and my family.
Businessman:
What are you going to do for the rest of the day then?
Fisherman:
I am going home now to spend some time with my family, play with the kids and have a nap. In the evenings I usually hang around with my mates in the village. We have a drink, dance and play the guitar.
Businessman:
Listen, I am a successful business man and would love to help you with some advice. If you were to stay out on the sea for longer and catch as much fish as you can, you would earn a lot more money.
Fisherman:
Why would I want to do that?
Businessman:
Well, with the additional money, you could buy a second boat and earn even more money. Soon you could have your own fleet of fishing boats.
Fisherman:
What good would that do to me?
Businessman:
You would earn even more money and eventually you could build your own fish cannery.
Fisherman:
What good would that do to me?
Businessman:
You could become incredibly rich like me. You could have other people doing all the work for you.
Fisherman:
What good would that do to me?
Businessman:
Eventually, you could retire and do all the things you love doing like going fishing, spending time with your family and going out with your friends
Fisherman:
Isn’t that what I am doing now?
So what?
If you go to work to earn money that will allow you to do something else later in life, have a think about how you could have that thing already now, without having to wait until your retirement. One of my clients, a hard working City Lawyer, complained that he felt his job was like a prison. But he was determined to keep going with it to fulfil his dream of financial freedom. When I asked what the freedom would give him, he said that it would allow him to travel and spend more time with his friends and family. My response was that he could do all these things already now if it wasn’t for his job that he had allowed to take over his life.
But I don’t know what else to do!
You ALWAYS have options. Most of our career coaching clients have no idea where to start exploring alternative jobs or careers. That’s where a career coach comes in.
Click here to book a FREE Discovery Call with me or one of my excellent hand picked associates to explore what’s possible for you.