There are several routes that people can follow in their professional lives. Some people follow the fulfilling way. Some follow the Faustian way. Some follow the fulfilling way with funding.
Different people follow these in different ways. There are, of course, pluses and minuses to each route. Let’s explore these themes.
The Fulfilling Way
Some people do work they enjoy and are not too concerned about money. They may focus on encouraging people, playing music, teaching, computing, designing, selling or following a passion.
They love to do activities in which they feel alive and able to do their best. They follow this route rather than listen to advisers who urge them to study something that will give them a guaranteed career.
Many peak performers took the fulfilling route early in their lives. Later on they learned how to get paid for following their passions.
The Faustian Way
Some people follow the Faustian way. They sell their soul for money and hope that one day they will be free to do what they really want. They accept messages such as the following.
“Climb the ladder and get to a good position that will provide your with security … Take a job that has prospects and you can do what you enjoy on the weekends … The work may be boring but it does provide a good pension.”
Some people who pursue this route console themselves by anticipating the potential golden prizes. Sometimes these can be achieved. But they may find it is hard to refresh their soul.
One person explained how they jumped off this route after a personal crisis that threatened their health. They described this in the following way.
“At one point in my career I was totally focused on the long-term goal of making lots of money. I believed this would free me to do what I really wanted in life.
“Looking at my life goals, however, I realised that I wanted: a) to be good at caring for my loved ones; b) to do work I really cared about; c) to do things that spread more caring in the world.
“Looking ahead, I felt it was possible for me to use my skills to do more enjoyable work. Plus also be able to make enough money to support our lifestyle.
“Bearing that in mind, I took steps to follow the caring route rather than the Kamikaze route. It took almost a year to make the transition but it helped both my family and myself to live happier lives.”
The Fulfilling
Way With Funding
Some people learn how to do fulfilling work and get funding. Some do this by going freelance. Some create their perfect role in an organisation. They use their savvy to craft a role that is a win-win for both themselves and their employer.
Anybody can do work they love, the art is getting somebody to pay them for doing it. How to make this happen? One approach is to follow the path taken by creative people throughout history.
Such people often aim: a) to build on their strengths; b) to find sponsors – people who will pay them for doing what they do best; c) to use their strengths to help those people to succeed.
Different people take this route in different ways. Whatever path they take, however, it can be useful to explore the following themes to do satisfying work that also pays a salary.
There are several routes that people can follow in their professional lives. Some people follow the fulfilling way. Some follow the Faustian way. Some follow the fulfilling way with funding.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Imagine that you want to follow some elements of the fulfilling way with funding. How could you do this in your own way? What may be the benefits of taking those steps?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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