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Abandoning the Work I Hated

opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com

1–10 of 45 posts

Re: Abandoning the Work I Hated

#5
post #2

>Robert Markowitz is working on a memoir. Thriller of the century.

Wisdom and happiness are often boring (try reading the meditations of Marcus Aurelius, I loved it but occasionally yawned). "Success" at any cost, extremes, pain, murder, 168 hour code sprints are more thrilling.

Re: Abandoning the Work I Hated

#6
post #4

So how does this jive with https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10095776 , which states that suffering can lead to a more meaningful and selfless life?

This may be a good theory question, but in your personal pursuit of happiness would you rely on a blog post or an intelligent sounding reply? :)

Re: Abandoning the Work I Hated

#8
I know the feeling; I've had some great jobs and some bad jobs in my career (albeit "only" 10 years as a professional). The most fun ones were energizing and are (to be honest) the things I seek out when looking for a new opportunity. The #1 thing that I ask when I look at a new job now is "Will I have fun?" #2 is "Is this good for me?" I'm still chasing after 2 different feelings:

1. Working with a couple of colleagues to finish an integration, finishing it, then booking a last-minute tee time to go play golf in celebration. It was a rewarding moment.

2. Getting together with teammates every couple of days for "Halo-thirty," where we'd break, get together in the afternoons for some halo3 in our teamroom, goof off for a bit, then get back to work. That team was remarkably-fun to be in and around.

I've actually found it a bit liberating now that I know what i'm looking for. In certain contexts at work I speak my mind more freely, decline or accept certain assignments, etc, and Nothing Bad Has Happened (yet).

Re: Abandoning the Work I Hated

#9
post #4

So how does this jive with https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10095776 , which states that suffering can lead to a more meaningful and selfless life?

It doesn't, because that article (the one you link to) is hopelessly confused.

Re: Abandoning the Work I Hated

#10
post #4

So how does this jive with https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10095776 , which states that suffering can lead to a more meaningful and selfless life?

he found no meaning being a lawyer, but he found creativity and love being a kids musician. Suffering leads to nothing, it's the meaning leads you through suffering.
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