The Jobs That Shape You

During a recent conversation with a youth group student, the topic of jobs came up. And not just any jobs, but the crappiest of the crappy jobs. This student had recently experienced a string of terrible work. He was frustrated and feeling down about the entire idea of work.

I expressed my dual sympathies and congratulations on his crappy jobs. Sympathy because crappy can be crappy....and that's no fun. But I congratulated him because these are the jobs that will shape him. These experiences will put him to the test, show him how to persevere, shine a light on what he doesn't want to do, and teach him how to serve people well (even when it doesn't feel great to do so). Then, I shared a few of my crappy high school jobs:

My first ever job was getting up at 4AM every single morning during summer break so I could rake the sand traps at our local golf course. The actual work was ok, but getting up every day at 4AM as a 15-year-old trying to enjoy my summer was brutal. But that job taught me so much.

Then there was my job at the cheese factory when I was 16/17. No, not Cheesecake Factory. A literal cheese factory. Again, I would get up at 4AM every Sunday during the school year to go package cheese. There's nothing like being half awake, at 5AM on a weekend morning, standing in a 45-degree room for seven hours. But that job taught me so much.

Ah, then there's the U.S. Census Bureau. Somehow, at age 18, I stumbled upon an opportunity to work for the government in its effort to collect data for the 2000 census. My job was to knock on the front doors of families who hadn't yet submitted their surveys and convince them to give me their information. What I learned on my first day was this: there was a reason some people hadn't filled out their survey.....they really didn't want to give the government any information. So when some kid comes knocking and asking for personal details, emotions run high. Two men pulled guns on me that first week (one of which was the father of my brother's classmate). I even approached a house where dozens of animal carcasses were rotting in a screened-in porch. Yeah, that entire experience was absolutely miserable. But that job taught me so much.

Even if I could, I'd never undo any of these crappy experiences. They helped shape me into the person I would later become. Without them, I would be missing many key attributes that have led to my career and leadership success. I cherish the value of those jobs.

So to my young friend coming off a string of terrible jobs, congrats! You're exactly where you need to be. Keep moving forward. Those experiences will shape you.

Five Margaritas Deep

My friend Kelsey sent me a meme the other day. Given our dozens of conversations about work and meaning, she knew I would get a kick out of it. Here's what it said: "I don't have a dream job because I don't dream about working. I dream about being 5 margaritas deep on a Caribbean island." 

It definitely gave me a good laugh! Someone probably made it to be tongue-in-cheek, but the best jokes are rooted in truth. First, let's get something straight. I love being five margaritas deep on a Caribbean island as much as the next person.

Work gets a bad rap in our culture. It's a means to an end, a necessary evil, something we do because we have to do it. From the time we are kids, work gets stigmatized. 

• We're made to work as punishment.

• Our earliest jobs are usually pretty crappy (two of mine were raking sand traps at 6AM in the summer and working in the cheese factory at 4AM on Sundays).

• If 70% of Americans dislike or hate their jobs, there's a high likelihood we watch at least one of our parents have a negative relationship with their work.

• We usually launch into adulthood with a bunch of debt, meaning we feel immediate pressure to find work to pay for the loan payments.

Every step of the way, we're learning and feeling that work sucks. With that context in mind, I get it! It makes sense why we would collectively view and treat work like a necessary evil.

Here's a different perspective of work I'd encourage you to think about. Work isn't something we have to do, but rather something we get to do. Not everyone is physically and mentally healthy enough to be productive.....it's a gift to have that ability. Work isn't just trading our time for money. It's an opportunity to use our skills, creativity, passions, experience, and influence to serve people. Serving customers, colleagues, and bosses. When we work, we add value to other people's lives:

• My kids get to enjoy an afternoon at the pool because the lifeguards are using their skills to keep watch and order. Without them, there is no pool.

• I shared a meal with a friend last night. Without the waiter and cooks, none of that would have happened. 

• My bike chain recently broke, and I took it to the shop. Without the team at my local bike shop, I wouldn't have a working bike to enjoy.

Maybe none of these examples are your dream job, but let's not lose sight of the value of work. It's not a necessary evil. It's an opportunity to make the world a better place. It's a chance for us to improve the lives of others. Yeah, we get to make some money along the way as well. That's awesome. But let's not demean the value of work in our lives. After all, that's what makes those "five margaritas deep on a Caribbean island" days so satisfying. 

Congrats on Not Getting the Job

One of my clients recently applied for a new job. It was an incredible job: higher status, more responsibilities, higher salary, a bigger bonus, better benefits......the whole nine yards. He didn't get it. He was in the final three, but lost out to someone else.

On the heels of this news, I sent him a text congratulating him on not getting the job. I'm so glad he didn't get it. It would have been a terrible job for him. Let me take a step back. He loves his current job. He wakes up every day excited for what he's about to do, loves his co-workers, has the flexibility for his family to live the life they live, believes in the mission, and makes a good living doing it. He's living his absolute best life, and his family has a great rhythm in how their life is structured.

So why did he apply for this new job, then? Frankly, he applied because that's what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to move up, make more money, garner more status, and manufacture a higher standard of living. Deep down, he knew he was already in the right place, but this was such a good opportunity!!!

After he received my unexpected congratulatory text, he immediately called me to process it. I explained to him how this new job, while paying better, would have negatively impacted many areas of his life. Less balance, more travel, a shift to work he doesn't enjoy, the loss of his work community, and a lot less flexibility to do the things his family enjoys doing.

His not receiving this job may be one of the best things that ever happened to him. He has a beautiful life, and money almost came before meaning. In hindsight, he's glad it didn't. The extra money would have been nice, but at what price?

There's absolutely nothing wrong with more money, but I believe you deserve better. So much better! I think you deserve to wake up every day excited for what you're about to do. Not because it's fun (it's often not), but because it matters. If it comes at the expense of a few fewer dollars, so be it. You deserve better than to put a price tag on your life. Your life is worth so much more than an annual salary or a status tied to your name.

Have a fantastic day!

Work That Matters Matters

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of spending the morning with our Northern Vessel Coffee team at the Des Moines Farmer’s Market. This market is one of the top markets in the country and welcomes more than 20,000 visitors every Saturday morning. Being invited to participate in the market this year was a huge win and honor for the business, and an opportunity we don’t take lightly.

When the idea rose to the surface, two of our full-time guys immediately stepped up and said they wanted to take ownership of it. This is a tremendous amount of work! The brewing, the prep, the transportation, the setup, the actual market, the teardown, and the part where they do it again next week (for 25 more weeks). The operation is primarily run through those two guys, but a third person (my job this week) is needed to help keep the train on the tracks by making sure they have ice, cups, lids, kegs, and everything else constantly stocked. After all, the market is pure madness and they can easily go two hours without even a 10-second break. They ended up killing 14 kegs of our signature oat milk cold brew lattes.

One thing is clear. Those two guys were ground to a pulp by the time it was over and we had finally loaded all our gear back into the truck. Here’s the thing, though. They were living their best life. The entire time, they served people well and did it with a passion you could read on their faces. Their work matters to them. It matters deeply. I see it in the shop, and I see it at the market. The entire team, and these two guys in this particular scenario, are driven to excellence and believe in the mission. They aren’t serving coffee…..they are adding value to people’s lives. They are injecting joy, hospitality, community, and yes, some tasty coffee, into people’s day.

This is the beautiful part about work. All work matters, but not all work matters to you or to me. We are each called to identify, pursue, and embrace work that matters to each of us. Not fun work. Not easy work. Not simple work. Not status-driven work. Not lucrative work. Not glamorous work. Work that matters. Work that moves the needle in our lives. Work that we’re excited to do when we wake up in the morning and feel fulfilled in when we’re going to bed later that night.

My favorite moment was towards the end of the day. The market had closed and we were nearly done packing up the Truck with all our gear to take back to the shop. The two guys, beat red from a combination of the sun and five hours of straight grind, looked at each other and smiled. They had just done something special, together, had the time of their lives doing it, and felt a sense of fulfillment for what just happened. Work that matters, man! Work that matters.

“I Couldn’t Say No”

Me: “What’s new in your world?”

Them: “I got a new job!”

Me: “I thought you loved your old job.”

Them: “I did, but I got a $20,000 raise with this new job.”

Me: “That’s cool. Do you like the new job?”

Them: “No, not at all. But it was a $20,000 increase. I couldn’t say no.”

This was the beginning of what became a 30-minute conversation about their new job. In short, the job sucked. After all, they left a job that meant a lot to them. They believed in the company’s mission, they had developed many strong relationships, and they were doing the exact work they wanted to do in their career. But they left! Dumbfounded, brought the conversation back around to this idea of leaving their meaningful job for something they knew would be a worse fit. I asked a simple, but dumb question, “How much is your happiness worth?” It was clear they, too, thought this was a dumb question. “There’s no price tag for my happiness…..it doesn’t seem like something I could put a price on.” Yet, they just knowingly sold their happiness for $20,000. $20,000!?!? It’s safe to say they disagreed with my assessment of the situation. The conversation eventually moved on to something far less controversial and emotionally-charged……politics.

About 6 months later, this same person asked me to lunch. I was excited to catch up, but I quickly found out they had a very specific agenda in mind. They were absolutely miserable. The job sucked, they were stressed, getting sick more often, and their marriage was struggling. Needless to say, this whole trade-happiness-for-$20,000-per-year experiment wasn’t working out so well. They knew they had to do something, but weren’t sure what. We talked about aspirations, options, and possible next steps.

Fast forward several months, and this person has moved on to a different job. A job that better suits their skills, passions, and lifestyle. It pays a decent amount less, but they report a ton of happiness and fulfillment. There’s far less stress at home, they look forward to going to work each morning, and they have enough money to live a respectable life. In my book, they are winners. It’s a counter-cultural way to live, but it’s so, so worth it. Meaning over money…..always meaning over money.

So Much Opportunity

Due to some very, very strange circumstances with his last employer, one of my close friends suddenly found himself out of a job. It would have been easy for him to play his tiny pity violin, and maybe he did for a few days, but violin pity music doesn’t pay the bills. He did the first thing he needed to do: look for a new job.

To be honest, this hasn’t always been his strong suit. Pursuing new jobs sits on his priority list just ahead of a root canal and spending a half day at the DMV. It’s not what he wants to do, but it’s the boat he’s in at the moment. He recently applied for three completely different opportunities, each with its own schedule, skill set, and responsibilities. Much to his surprise, he got all three!! One is a short-term project and the other two are consistent jobs. If he were to be honest, none of the three excite him all that much. However, they will pay the bills and help keep the financial train on the track while his family figures out what’s next. Having this income will reduce financial stress/tension and hopefully prevent the negative implications that inevitably come from that.

There’s a lot of opportunity out there…..so, so much opportunity. Every time I hear someone say “there’s nothing available”, I just roll my eyes. In today’s digital world with social media, remote work, flexible jobs, and entrepreneurial opportunities abound, there’s no excuse for not finding something. And by something, I’m not necessarily referring to the job of your dreams. I’m talking about something that will work…..for now….until the next thing presents itself. If you’re in the need for income, go find it. Think creatively, make some calls, and apply for some positions. The worst that can happen is a “no.” As I often mention to my young friends, there’s no limit to the number of “no’s” we get to experience. So what if we receive 10,000 “no’s.” It just means a “yes” is right around the corner. The “no’s” are the entry price to get to the “yes’s.” Let’s get going!

** This isn’t just for people looking for work. If you’re reading this, chances are there’s something in your life you want to do, but don’t want to deal with the “no’s.” I promise you it’s worth it! It may not feel like it while you’re in the thick of it, but at some point, you’ll absolutely be grateful for your former self gutting through it.