RobArt Penguin

Daily writing prompt

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

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Pursuing the right work has been an obsession of mine, the idea that I am practically destined to do a specific type of work and I won’t be happy until I do it. I get this from my father, who brooded for decades over never finding his thing. Although he’s been gone sixteen years, his influence remains a factor. When I used to look for work, my biggest anxiety came from explaining my spotty work history. My resume was full of career changes and work gaps. Over the years I developed clever explanations that almost made my history resemble a deliberate plan, but I think the anxiety always shined through, especially in interviews. During my journey, I had tons of information interviews. One of them came from an ironic source, my father, who put me onto an insurance salesman friend. His name was Ray and he told me that he never felt bound to one career, that he found no problem changing as he changed. He changed careers without worrying about it. He said, “I’m doing insurance now, but I don’t know what I will be doing in ten years.” His advice was to not worry about making every career decision exactly right. It was a good counter message to my idea that there was one thing out there that I had to find, and not rest until I found it. I used to think writing was my one thing, but lately I don’t know. The real thing is hard and lonely work. But I finally let Ray’s advice sink in and don’t sweat it. I can always change, again. But I don’t think in a few years I will be a brain surgeon.