Your Calling and The Real World

Last week, one of this blog’s treasured readers politely suggested that my take on life wasn’t practical for the real world. He suggested it was far more practical to compromise – to divide one’s life between a “tolerable” job/career to pay the bills and an “after(job)life” characterized by a passionate pursuit of something or other.

For the record, I am not a big fan of the so-called “real world.” The real world has been built on the fraudulent premise that hard work has value.

So here it is at point-blank range: Hard work is worthless. No, it is worse than worthless. It is downright harmful and should be avoided at all costs. 

I believe everyone has the potential for greatness. Realizing that greatness is everyone’s birthright. Pursuing anything else cheats you, cheats the real “real world,” cheats the Universe, and cheats whatever Power administers the Universe.

I see squandering the better part of one’s day when one is most energetic, most alert, and most creative on some “tolerable” job as a tragic waste of one’s gifts and time. Far better is to identify, develop and enjoy those gifts.

But, but, but, what about money?

Okay, I will concede (for the sake of expediting so I can get to my main point) that money is necessary. We all seem to need it and/or want more of it no matter how much we have already.

In my experience, I never put much (any) emphasis on amassing money. I tried a few jobs here and there whenever I thought I absolutely needed money. However, immediately upon being hired, I felt like I had just been sentenced to a prison term, that I had made a boneheaded deal trading my priceless freedom for a small fistful of dollars. I never lasted long in those jobs. It was always a matter of weeks before I ran out screaming (or was thrown out by some screaming boss).

Here is my “work” resume since graduating from Rutgers University in 1968:

• December 1968 – January 1969, Case Worker, New Jersey Board of Welfare, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Fired after two months. Became radicalized after seeing excessive poverty and dealing with an insensitive bureaucracy. (Not too many people hold the rare distinction of being fired from a civil service job.)

• Summer 1969, Truck Driver for Salvation Army in San Francisco. Quit after 5 weeks when I earned enough to pay off a speeding ticket that I got in the desolate California desert of all places. (Yes, I lived on Ashbury Street, one half block from Haight.)

• Fall 1969, Factory Worker, Simulaids, Woodstock, NY. Made first aid training devices. Quit after two weeks. Bored out of my gourd.

• Winter 1969, Short Order Cook, Sled Hill Café, Woodstock, NY. Quit after 3 weeks. Hated the late nights and having to deal with meat. (I’m a vegetarian.) Met some cool rock stars, though.

• Winter 1969, Welder in a gun factory, Woodstock, NY. Made replicas of antique rifles. Quit after 4 weeks. Hated the entire scene.

• Summer 1970, Maintenance Man at a summer camp, New Paltz, NY. Quit after 4 weeks. Camp season was over and I got bored/grossed out stacking the urine-soaked mattresses in the storage shed.

• Fall 1970 to present, retired from the idea of doing any type of work whatsoever – hard work, soft work, smart work, or whatever work.

But, but, but what about money?

Whenever I seemed to need money, it appeared. It’s the damnedest thing (or better put, the undamnedest thing) but I have found that it is all a matter of deserving and desiring. If I thought I deserved it then I desired it. And then it came. I’ve never gone without. It has nothing to do with work or effort or jobs or careers. It seems to do the trick because I live comfortably. (If you want to tour my home, click here.)

So in the meantime, instead of obsessing over money, I stay true to myself. I just do what I want to do and learn what I want to learn and enjoy what I want to enjoy and sometimes I get so wonderfully and powerfully caught up in some project and I start dreaming expansive daydreams and I go for it with every ounce of energy and enthusiasm and love that I can muster. And I will argue to my dying day that that experience is not work and should never be considered work. It is "fun" in the fullest, most glorious sense of the word.

And the money . . . it just takes care of itself.

Each of us is beautifully unique and generously endowed with all the tools to be great. Each of us has to discover that and develop that. That is our full time job. In my opinion, spending the better part of life in a “tolerable” job is not the formula for greatness (or even wealth, for that matter).

You have got to love what you do. That is the imperative. If you aren’t in love with what you do, then you’ve got to find it. And by doing so, you will transform this so-called “real world” into a vastly better place.

www.lazyway.net

 

Comments

[Michelle]

I've been lurking here for a while now, just steeping myself in ideas that resonate very strongly with something deep inside me. Over the past few years I've been letting go little by little of some of society's expecations, looking beyond an endless career in one place to find my passion, and trying to instill this in my son too.

Your thoughts have given me more than a spark of hope that I'm on the right track.

Thank you!

[Alvin]

I like what you've written here, it's challenging some of my beliefs and also given me food for thought.

Could you elaborate more on the 'deserving' part? Were you working at those low-paying jobs because at the time you didn't feel like you 'deserved' to have more money?

[Amy]

I'm with you man. Quit the 60+ hour per week J.O.B. 2 years ago, never to return. Now I'm making three times what I used to and I only work 3 hours a day. I agree, THIS is the way it's meant to be. Everyone deserves this kind of lifestyle. Thanks for sharing! :-)

[elloco]

Yes, never give up finding your purpose in life. It's the saddest thing one could do. Especially if you have kids: you give a very bad example on how to go through life.

However, I think it's a life-time long search. People change, and so do interests etc.

So far, I wasn't able to manage this "money appeared when I needed/deserved it" stuff. So, it's probably a lot more difficult to create a fullfilling life for most of us.

[steve in sunny florida]

Yes. Fred, could you elaborate on your deserving and desiring comments, which I find very interesting.

Did you start feeling you deserved the money (and hence, desired it) after you began doing what you love and providing an exceptional service/product? Would love to know more.

[Tom Churm]

Your philosophy reminds me of the concept of 'Flow Time'.

Flow Time happens when you're so engrossed in an activity that you enjoy, that you don't have to think about it, and you don't have to expend any effort to get it done...it just flows, seemingly without effort.

As a web programmer I know that the BEST work I ever do is done when I am caught up in this 'Flow Time' phenomenon. When I'm forced to work on something that I don't really care about - then I may have to actually TRY. But if the project is fun, I'm just riding a right-brain train to the end of it, and the work somehow takes care of itself.

I strongly believe that if everyone could figure out when they experience the most 'Flow Time', then they could use this information to figure out what their ideal career would be.

[Michael]

Without hard work the world would be a very different place... and not in a good way.

[Dan]

BS. you don't get a house like that without making a decent amount of money, whether it's because of a will, work, or embezzlement.

[Fred Gratzon]

The last two commenters, bless their souls, are still deeply mired in antiquated thinking. They have been indoctrinated by parents, clergy, teachers, bosses, and politicians to embrace hard work. I think that is a pity and a waste of life. Real success comes when you do that which you truly love and are inspired by.

I don't believe in work and I don't do it and I don't ask/require anyone else to do it for me. I believe in fun and expansion and joy and love and passion and collaboration and laughter and integrity and social responsibility and evolution and devotion and natural law and honesty and friendship and deep silence, and doing unto others etc. And as a result, money comes as a beneficial side effect.

But if you think working, and being bossed, and getting stressed, and sitting in traffic jams, and being crammed in a cubicle, and living from paycheck to paycheck doing stuff you hate, and getting heart attacks, hives, and headaches is the path to success, be my guest. Me, I prefer playing golf and going on picnics and doing projects that I can't wait to get up in the morning to do.

[sia]

I don't get it. What does this clown do for money and decent health insurance? He never says, and I can't find it anywhere on his site. There are plenty of homeless/impoverished people with the same attitudes that he has, just not the good fortune. It is not this guy's methods that we should covet, it is his extremely good luck.

[Fred Gratzon]

I take your characterization of me as "clown" in the highest, most complimentary way. A clown like a Charlie Chaplin, right? Thanks for the praise.

I don't know where you live but I have never seen or met a homeless/impoverished person, let alone plenty of them, with the same attitude that I have.

Since you want to know, my money came from past business enterprises. But those enterprises were never work; they were fun. Most of the time, anyway. And when they were no longer fun, I got out.

Here is a vital point. It is my methods that produce the good luck. Good luck does not happen in a vacuum.

[Old Dave]

Tomorrow I have to get up a 5am and drive 70 miles to sit in a grey cubicle doing stuff that ranges from mind-numbingly boring to gut-wrenchingly stressful. The fact that I'm 64 makes it seem all the more tragic as I am running out of life fast.... I can retire in a few months and try and live on a fraction of what I make now, but chances are I'll have to keep working in order to pay the rent. A radio shrink I used to listen to many years ago was always saying our job is to discover our gift, develop it, and then spend the rest of our lives 'giving it back' to the world that desperately needs the output of our highest and best selves. For whatever reason, I never managed to figure out what my 'gift' was so I just kept on chugging away at my floggit job. When I was young I did exactly what you did after college, rarely lasting more than a few weeks at any job, but eventually fell into something undemanding enough to latch onto for a longer term. Anyway, I read all the self-help books available back then and became pretty convinced it was all a mind game, this life business. Your reality pretty much reflects your core beliefs, and if you drift though life believing your creative urgings and ideas are worthless, it's unlikely you will act on them, and you gradually learn to distrust your instincts and just follow the herd through the dark factory gates to take your place on the assembly line... Family and friends all cluck their approval at your 'good sense' and practicality. All those crazy ideas about writing novels or being an artist or an inventor or a zen poet or just taking off on a motorcycle to ride around the world are just repressed away into a forgotten corner of your mind. Men have to work and work isn't supposed to be fun--that's why they call it work, dumbo! When the five o'clock whistle blows, then you can start having fun at the local beer bar. Quaff a few cold ones, eat some greasy junkfood, then slog home to watch a cop show on TV and go to bed so you can get up at dawn and get ready to do it again....
Sorry, didn't mean to go on a rant here. I'm glad to know that some people manage to escape the cultural madness and find their own path. It takes a lot of courage to challenge such deeply entrenched and widely held beliefs... Keep up the good 'work' Mr. Gratzon.... I'll probably write your name in on the next Presidential ballot. I'd give anything to hear your State of the Union speech!

[Seamus 'Moose' Anthony]

I believe - and indeed am finding to be more and more true - that Fred's way of thinking does come true if you actually do define one or more gifts and pursue these passionately - because it's fun. Then doors open, and ways around problems like needing cash appear before your eyes. For example I still need a paycheque, but HATE having to do things that are boring. Thankfully, I recently refused to do broing jobs anymore - NO MATTER WHAT. Next day I got a great, fun job at a magazine.

The other day I got to work and my boss made me read a book called the Seven Day Weekend, and now I have just been told that I am free to do what I feel at work. We still need to make money, but apart from that, I am free to 'just make it all up'.

And in time, I will be entirely free from the day-job altogether. In fact, as soon as it stops being fun.

The trick, and I am sure Fred will agree, is to flow like water. When water comes to across a large boulder in it's path, it does not push against the rock, but flows around it without skipping a beat.

[Fred Gratzon]

Dear Dave,
It is not too late. Late bloomers are a hearty breed. Read some of my past posts on finding one's calling. My book ain't half bad either.

A State of the Union address -- what an intriguing idea for a future post!

[Derrick]

I just saw your article linked on Digg and had to check it out. I completely agree with your thoughts on work/life. I fail to believe that our "purpose" in life is to be some wage slave chained to a cubicle. I am not just a cog in a machine. I am a living breathing person that would much rather "do" stuff with my time than work on my TPS reports.

[Chris S]

I thought i was the only one to think this way, here's to living the good life!

[Sadie]

Are you serious? Basically, you are a rich businessman living off of other people's hard work, bragging about your house, and you are so absolutely out of touch with what the reality is for the 97% of people who do not come from money or own businesses, that you are seriously putting forth the idea that your money materialized out of thin air because you deserve it?

I have met a lot of people who seem to have this attitude, but the fact that you are willing to present "entitlement" as a life philosophy for others to persue is just astounding.

Most people don't work because they've "bought into the system", they work because they have to, because if they don't work they can't pay rent and they get evicted and their kids get taken away. You probably don't talk to many of these people in your life except to order a meal, but you may notice them when they don't get out of your way fast enough. We do useful things, like clean the things you use and the places you walk, keep the shops running for you to buy things, and make sure your paperwork is in order when you see the doctor. We do all the hard work that makes your life so spectacular. We don't do it because we think you're awesome and don't want you to have to do things yourself -- we do it because our landlords are people like you who run businesses or own property and will evict us and put us out on the street to die if we don't work.

Do you honestly believe that the woman working three jobs so she can pay the rent but still can't afford to pay her kids' doctor bills doesn't have money because she doesn't WANT it? or because she doesn't deserve it? or because she's stupid? This is the most offensive trash I've ever read.

[lilly]

The "Lazy Way to Success" promoter is utterly vague about how he supposedly lives the good life without an icky day job. Vague equals incredible to me.

It sounds like a setup for an Amway pitch.

Lil

[Josh]

I think that it is possible for some people to have a job they find fun, but it is entirely impossible for 95% of the world to live this dream. The reality is, the world needs people to do the jobs that nobody would ever want to do. I really wish that everyone could have this life Fred promotes, but it's a utopian dream and nothing more =/

[Ruins]

I used to think like this guy, but I grew out of it when I was 12.

Without hardwork, the world will crumble. Some people, through social connections and sometimes, luck, have easier jobs that sustain them than others. But, honestly, this so called "Philosophy" is a joke.

I am a PhD student, and I know what lazy means. I have personally been extremely lazy for weeks on end. But, sooner or later, one realizes that hard work is important. For your own growth and for the growth of others.

Go read a book, or teach another person, just don't be lazy. We already have enough lazy jerks in this world. What I wouldn't give to have him go work in the sweatshops that make his "lazily acquired" clothing.

When you produce something that improve the quality of life for someone else, let us know, will ya.

[Fred Gratzon]

Dear last four commenters,

Call it offensive trash, call it a set-up, call it a dream world, but there was a time when I did not have any money or sources of income and I also had a wife and child and mortgage and debts and bills and no where to turn and I still felt as I do today. Money and comfort haven't changed me. I refused to "work" then and I refuse to work today. But you are free to dismiss what I say and accept a life of hardship. I am saying it is not necessary. This is not a multilevel pitch. It is a be-true-to-yourself pitch. You have all the tools to be great and they are uncovered and developed by doing stuff you love to do. It is ALL about trusting nature/Nature. You are part (a vital part) of a great magnificent wholeness. You were not short-changed in any way. But you will never get out of the terrible rut you are in by staying in the rut. Punching a time clock and shuffling someone else's papers are not reliable or proven ways to liberate yourself. But if you want to have your life defined as a succession of dead-end unpleasant jobs, that is your choice. I definitely wish you well.

[Adam]

Fred,

I have not read any of your other stuff besides this blog post. The last four commentators probably have not either. I am making an assumption here, but I think you failed to get across the point that you do engage in activities that they would consider "work", but it is something you love and are passionate about and thus you do not consider it a job/work because it is fun and fulfilling. I could be wrong and somehow money rains down from the heavens and you sit in your backyard dancing around playing a ukelele, but somehow I doubt that is what you done to support your family.

I don't think you are saying that we shouldn't work in corporations, or that everyone should be their own boss. I think you are trying to encourage people to find positions that utilize their talents and passions so that the job becomes a calling instead of mere drudgery.

Is it a call to transcend the abyss of the rat race by not submitting to the drudgery? Violating the rules by playing outside the rules and only staying in a job if it appeals to you. Only to stay in positions that challenge and excite while making use of your talents.

Enough assumptions. This post seemed to be very high end, airy, philosiphical, if I may. Unfortunately, it read like you spent all your days in a hammock and money came along. You may claim to be lazy, but I bet you spend a lot of energy on projects you enjoy.

[Fezbucks]

Right on, Adam.

There's only so much "spin" you can put on doing what you're passionate about.

Call it "not work" -- call it "gobblede hooky packy" -- it's still the same people in some people's eyes - 'work'.

We all know the potheads who sit on their couch all day and do nothing but watch TV, eat potato chips, get stoned and play video games. Maybe 1/1000 of these fine folks find inspiration at some point and actually do something they're passionate about, and it doesn't look like work.

Anyway, you're a great marketer Fred and I hope your ideas catch on without the proper grounding in reality.

Meanwhile I know that putting in 12 hour days doing *what I love* and what does *not* feel like work, is what's gotten me $4k+ / mo. in passive web income.

- Fez

fezbucks.com

[Dave]

Fred,

I think you will find that the english language has differentiated between work and labour for some time.

So you realised a capital driven society devalues work ? Why beg justification of acting on this realisation ?

Being left wanting is often the sign that it is worth reconsidering a presumptive goal. Perhaps the capitalistic ideal isn't as satisfying as you thought it would be ?

[john]

I appreciate this post. I've taken it a step further, and moved to a small country in Europe, where expectations are lower, I can live simply, without alot of demands, and pursue what I want to. Yes, the money does tend to just come...not always like I want, but I've yet to go hungry.