The Art of Living

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labour and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself he always appears to be doing both.” – Francois Auguste Rene Chateaubriand

I thought I'd share this quote because I feel it really resonates my view on how we should be evaluating our careers and lives. Ask yourself does your current job or direction in life reflect who you really are? Does it reflect what drives you and what you enjoy? Don't get me wrong and read this thinking that I'm suggesting you all go out, quit your jobs, and just play. You need to find a balance of rewards between self-fulfilling and financial. Personally I think I've put myself on the right path with my career move to Yamaha Canada, providing me the opportunity spending everyday around an industry I'm passionate about. Hopefully while working my way through the ranks I also manage to find a position that reflects my personality quite well. However, for the guy who plays Sudoku on his lunch break a career as a financial analysist may the right choice, if they couldn't pull you away from the building blocks as a kid maybe a career in structural engineering would be a fit, or if you are as compassionate with animals as you are with people, you should end up being a Vet, or maybe an animal trainer. I could go on and on with examples.

The other questions I would ask is why do so many people accept a career that doesn't reflect who they are and the really don't enjoy? Social status, expectations put on you by others, to make the big money? Why would I want an exuberant salary? To afford trips, cars, toys, a big house and hobbies, makes sense. However, would someone like myself be better off to give up a big house and new car if you could do what you wanted every day? Maybe being mountain guide in the winter, and a bike/kayak guide in the summer? I wouldn't need as many holidays if I lived the life I wanted day to day and then would the material things really make me any happier? There's definitely a line somewhere between the two extremes that is the perfect fit.

Ultimately as the quote above mentions, the focus is to blur the lines between work and play. How much the line is blurred, and what side you stand on will be different for everyone you.