Because the alarm went off?
Because you had to go to work?
Because you wanted to change the world?
This may be a tough question to answer some days. Why?
As I get older I take this question seriously. I span my career and think of why I got out of bed to go to various jobs. Some were more inspiring that others. Few had a cause or purpose that served as motivation.
I'm on a mission to raise awareness about purpose in our lives. In our work..in our home...in our communities. Cruise control doesn't work anymore. More and more people are searching for meaning. When purpose is apparent it will naturally raise the satisfaction in what we do.
Imagine going to work at ESPN in 1979? Apple in the 1980's? Twitter in 2006? All of these entities changed the world. Being a part of something much larger than any individual is exciting. We have to take that feeling and make it contagious.
So tell me...why did you get out of bed this morning?
My answer is very simple - to make money in order to enjoy the comfortable, materialistic pleassures of life that I enjoy during my time off from work. I realize the answer is very selfish and not very deep. But that's it. When I'm between jobs I get up just as early to pursue the next job that earns me the money to enjoy the same materialistic pleasures for me and the family. I guess it's just one big loop!
ReplyDeletesburg - Thank you very much for the reply!
ReplyDeleteMy answers can be a little like sermons. They are like parables and, you are then encouraged to think and interpret.
ReplyDeleteI had an interview with the HR Committee at WPKN in Bridgeport last week. the interview lasted about 90 minutes. The questions were probing. They're looking for somebody who can lead a group of very independent producers. Several are anarchists. The Station Manager has to lead by building consensus without any direct authority over the content. The job is difficult...to say the least.
I enjoyed the interview. I enjoyed meeting the committee. I enjoyed talking about public media and the correlation between programming, the audience and the ability to raise funds. I also learned a lot about what they need going forward.
In short...I look forward to being able to interact and learn more about their needs and how my skills might be able to fill those needs. The person to person interactions were energizing.
At the end they asked about my ideal job. My answer had nothing to do with public media.
Father Kim - How did they handle your ideal job answer? If you work with anarchists my first question would be..WHY?
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DeleteI told them my background. I stayed true to myself. ...I don't think the anarchists liked my answers about taking control of the content. That might settle itself.
ReplyDeleteI told them I wanted to run a bowling alley that offers frozen custard and bratwurst. I would also run a catering truck that offers this fare and park it near the tailgating at Brewers games, Packers games and UW football games. Two of the committee members were from Wisconsin. They really liked my answer.