Are you part of the twenty percent?

[razz]

Robert Genn at rgenn@saraphina.com has had a twice-weekly newsletter for artists for years. Due to his illness, his daughter, Sara, has taken over and doing a really good job, I think. Very rarely, I copy a whole issue of anything but this one could be thought-provoking and helpful for those struggling through the holiday season.

How would you answer the five questions?

Merry Christmas!!!



A few years ago, Adam Leipzig attended his 25th reunion at Yale University. At Yale, he had been a theatre geek and literature major. Mingling in the party tent that summer evening, Adam listened to complaints about emptiness, wasted years, and general confusion about life's purpose. He concluded that eighty percent of his former classmates were unhappy with their lives, even though most were now in positions of power, were prosperous, and had ticked many of life's trophy boxes. In contrast, the twenty percent - the happy Yalies - were arts and history people, and those who had studied subjects for the joy of learning. Adam posited a theory: Happiness is having a purpose. People who are happy, he found, know five things:

Who they are

What they do

Who they do it for

What those people's needs are

And what they get out of it

Amazon.com lists 151,928 book titles about finding life's purpose. It's a going concern. But life teaches that if we make others happy, we're taken care of. Somehow, our most important needs are met on a level that cannot be matched by acquisition or achievement. Focusing outward is the key.

Creative people, in particular, often stumble when asked, "What do you do?" Some find the question confronting, or downright troublesome, especially when between projects, or if there's vagueness about professional status. Many others do something else, something they feel is not the thing that defines them. Still others believe they're not yet ready to identify with the title "artist." The word itself is as loaded as a mid-summer's Ivy League mixer for the middle aged.



Adam suggests that you need only answer the last question in his formula: "How are the people you're doing it for transformed by what you do?"



This holiday season, if you happen to be mingling with the other eighty percent, you may find the question "What do you do?" unnecessary. More valuable will be, "How do you do that?"



Sincerely,



Sara



P.S. "We can all agree that the unexamined life is not worth living, but if all you're doing is examining, you're not living." (Adam Leipzig)

[Teacher Terry]

That is awesome! I have been lucky enough that I loved the career I went to graduate school to do. Although, I had some false starts and worked in some areas I did not like. I noticed some people on the board like their volunteer work better then their paid work. Actually just the opposite is true for me but I have also donated some of my time for paid work to good causes which I also enjoyed just as much.

[ApatheticNoMore]

If only 20% of the most priviledged people in the entire country (Ive League graduates) suceed this way, what are the dire odds for the rest of us.

[Teacher Terry]

If more colleges/trade schools provided career/testing counseling you would have a lot more happier workforce. That is one of the things that I provide in my job. Also it is not just taking a interest test but sitting down with an experienced counselor that knows the right questions to ask to help you find that job that you would really enjoy. It is sad that so many people work in jobs that are not right for them. Also it is not just the job but the work environment, dress code etc to consider (too many variables to list) that are so important in making a career decision. I have seen people with college degrees that are unhappy because they really wanted to work in the trades, etc but were talked out of it.

[Simply Divine]

If more colleges/trade schools provided career/testing counseling you would have a lot more happier workforce. That is one of the things that I provide in my job. Also it is not just taking a interest test but sitting down with an experienced counselor that knows the right questions to ask to help you find that job that you would really enjoy. It is sad that so many people work in jobs that are not right for them. Also it is not just the job but the work environment, dress code etc to consider (too many variables to list) that are so important in making a career decision. I have seen people with college degrees that are unhappy because they really wanted to work in the trades, etc but were talked out of it.

I had good counselors in college, but I didn't know myself well enough to make the best decision as a teenager/early young adult. Counselors work with what they have. Sometimes only life experience can help you figure out what you're truly meant to do. FWIW, I was an English major/Business minor. They both have their uses. I work in a business and work on my novel.

[Stella]

I definitely feel fulfilled. I really love my life. I spend my time with people I really love doing things I find meaningful.

[gwendolyn]

If only 20% of the most priviledged people in the entire country (Ive League graduates) suceed this way, what are the dire odds for the rest of us.

I would suspect that Yalies are more likely than most to end up feeling unfulfilled -- there's a heck of a lot of expectations about "making something of yourself" to justify that tuition price -- (at least those who haven't already bucked expectations by majoring in theater and arts like Leipzig...) For those who are there as legacy students, I would guess even more dysfunctional expectations...

[Simply Divine]

I would suspect that Yalies are more likely than most to end up feeling unfulfilled -- there's a heck of a lot of expectations about "making something of yourself" to justify that tuition price -- (at least those who haven't already bucked expectations by majoring in theater and arts like Leipzig...) For those who are there as legacy students, I would guess even more dysfunctional expectations...

You're probably right. I saw this at a smaller scale at the university I attended. The well-off weren't that well-off psychologically, and I'm not just talking about mental illness or addictions, but in social expectations and relationships.

[Teacher Terry]

You can be very fulfilled career wise without being rich or privileged. It is just a matter of finding your right calling.

[catherine]

If only 20% of the most priviledged people in the entire country (Ive League graduates) suceed this way, what are the dire odds for the rest of us.

This hypothesis cuts across the board. You don't have to be rich and have a PhD in order to find purpose in the service of others. I'm not sure if the author is 100% right or wrong, but I would agree that people who lovingly and willingly give of themselves creatively to others are the most fulfilled and happy (and I use the word "creatively" in a very broad way. We can creatively feed an elderly parent for instance).

Remember..

"...you don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love." MLK--The Drum Major Instinct.