[摘要]我們許多人會發現到偉大的夢想和職業上的現實是自相矛盾的。不論我們多么想創業、寫小說、發專輯或是演戲，我們還是被捆綁在椅子上，被我們窮途末路的日常工作所淹沒。夢想與工作必然沖突嗎？
In the struggle to integrate work with a meaningful, fun, and fulfilling life, many of us find our big dreams colliding with our occupational realities. As much as we'd like to be starting our own businesses, finishing our novels, selling our albums, or getting out to those casting calls, we feel chained to our chairs, shackled to our spreadsheets, drowned in our dead-end day jobs.
And the prevailing wisdom is that you just have to quit the job, cut the cord, take the leap from the job that you tolerate to the work that you love. Unfortunately, following that wisdom has led far too many people to financial ruin, frustrated ambitions, and unfulfilled dreams. There's a better way -- and it doesn't involve quitting your day job to chase your dreams.
Don't be a quitter
Jon Acuff's book, Quitter, is filled with wise ideas about why keeping your day job is a better path to achieving your dreams. Here are just some of the reasons Acuff gives for keeping your day job while you pursue your dreams:
When you have a day job that meets your financial needs, you have the freedom to pursue only the things that move you closer to your dreams. When you quit your day job, you might have to say "yes" to things that make you money while actually pulling you further off course.
When you have a day job that you can contain and control, you have the time to truly plan your strategy, make connections, and lay the groundwork while still making an income.
When you have a day job that isn't quite your dream, you have the motivation to hustle in ways that move your dream forward.
From his experience and perspective, the people who build and actually achieve their biggest dreams aren't those that cut the cord rashly and irresponsibility. Instead, they're the ones you have the discipline and determination to use their current situations to support their ambitions. Here are some quotations from Quitter to give you some food for thought:
"When you keep your day job, all opportunities become surplus propositions rather than deficit remedies. You only have to take the ones that suit your dream best."
"Quitting a job doesn't jump-start a dream because dreams take planning, purpose, and progress to succeed. That stuff has to happen before you quit your day job."
"I know it sounds crazy, but people with jobs tend to have more creative freedom than people without."
Finding creative freedom in your day job
At this point, some of you might be thinking, "Yeah, that sounds great, but I have a demanding job that consumes all my energy, time, and resources." Sure. I get it. It is not easy to follow your passion(s) while also fulfilling that dream of having some food in your fridge and the electricity to keep it cold.
On the other hand, many accomplished folks -- and some outright geniuses -- have done exactly that. A little over a year ago, business journalist Lydia Dishman published an article on Fast Company's site called "10 Famous Creative Minds That Didn't Quit Their Day Jobs." Here are some of the highlights:
Dustin Hoffman, who started out wanting to be a classical pianist, started acting in his early 20's, but that did not pay the bills. While working as a theater actor before his 1967 breakthrough film role in The Graduate, he also worked as a waiter (of course), a temporary typist (not surprising), a toy demonstrator at Macy's, and an assistant at the New York Psychiatric Institute, where one of his responsibilities was holding patients down while they received shock treatments.
Sculptor Richard Serra, composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich, actor/writer Spalding Gray, painter/photographer Chuck Close all worked as furniture movers for Serra's Low Rate Movers company while building their oeuvres and reputations. Glass, who also worked as a plumber and a taxi driver, recalls one of his fares informing him that he shared a name with a very famous composer.
Five years after publishing the critically acclaimed Player Piano, writer Kurt Vonnegut opened and managed a Saab dealership on Cape Cod. Unfortunately, the business was a miserable failure. Vonnegut once quipped, "I believe my failure as a dealer so long ago explains what would otherwise remain a deep mystery: why the Swedes have never given me a Nobel Prize for literature." Prior to his misadventures in automotive commerce, Vonnegut worked as a news reporter and as a public relations flack for General Electric.
Of course, this list could go on and on. Jeff Koons was a stockbroker. Mark Rothko taught elementary school. Julian Schnabel was a dishwasher. Keith Haring was a busboy. Patti Smith worked in a used bookstore.
Keep your day job without killing your dreams
So what can you do to keep your day job without killing your dreams? Like all difficult questions, there's no single right answer, and as I've found with my coaching clients, the right solution for you won't be the right solution for anyone else. Nevertheless, here are a few possible strategies to consider when figuring out how to hold onto all the benefits -- tangible and intangible -- of a day job while still making progress toward those big ambitions:
Find an intersection between your day job and your dream. That job in the marketing department might seem like a soul-sucking grind, but might there be things you can learn from it that will make your business or your artistic endeavor more successful. On the other hand, is it possible that your experience marketing your band's CDs might actually help your employer be more successful? The ideal arrangement is if your day job somehow feeds into your dream and vice versa. Finding ways to connect the dots between how you make your living and the life you want to make is a strategy that helps many people keep their heads and their hearts while keeping their jobs.
Find a job that requires as little energy as possible. For some folks, the best path to pursuing their dreams is the one of least resistance. Philip Glass composed a truly shocking number of works while laboring in furniture moving, taxi driving, and toilet repair. Of this time, he says, "I was careful to take a job that couldn't possibly have any meaning for me." I suspect, however, that the inspiration Glass took from the people he met and experiences he had in these jobs showed up in his compositions in some way -- which brings us to the third strategy.
View your day job through the lens of your dream. Day jobs -- especially corporate ones -- get a bad rap for being heartless, faceless vampires that sap your will to live, much less dream. The truth, however, is that a job is a rich sources of experiences. You meet interesting (if sometimes maddening) people. You solve difficult (and ideally worthwhile) problems. You learn useful skills. Any and all of these things might provide inspiration for your art or girders for your business, if you shift your perspective and start looking at your day job differently.
Be practical. Many day jobs provide benefits that make dreams more achievable. Obviously, you should be using the money you make to invest in the development of your dream, but there are many other ways to use your day job practically to support your ambitions. If your employer provides tuition reimbursement or other training benefits, use them to build your knowledge, skills, and credentials. If you have access to relevant networking opportunities through your employer, take advantage of them to connect with more like-minded folks. If you have paid time off, use it occasionally to put time into your business.
Keep your head and your heart while keeping your job
Far too much well-meaning advice tells you that, in order to create a meaningful life, you have to ditch the day job dive headlong into your dreams. Unfortunately, dreams rarely come with the safety, security, and stability that good day jobs offer. Comedian and commentator Joe Rogan means well in encouraging people to take the leap, but I question both the wisdom and the confidence of his assertions:
There's no shame in wanting safety, security, and stability. At the same time, it doesn't have to come at the cost of pursuing and achieving your highest ambitions. It is possible to keep your head and your heart -- and your dreams and desires -- while keeping your job. I've watched friends, family, and coaching clients do it, and I've done it myself. Don't buy the all-or-nothing, black-and-white, cut-and-dried perspective that tells you to quit your job. You're smarter than that. And when you take a smart approach to pursuing your passions, you can both do what you love and love what you do.
To achieve all that we were meant to achieve in this life, we must bring our whole selves to work -- and to everything that we do. As Vonnegut wrote in Mother Night, "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."
我們在工作的同時，總會要結合一個有意義、好玩、有滿足感的生活，因而面對掙扎。我們許多人會發現到偉大的夢想和職業上的現實是自相矛盾的。不論我們多么想創業、寫小說、發專輯或是演戲，我們還是被捆綁在椅子上、被迫看數據、被我們窮途末路的日常工作所淹沒。
普遍的智慧是：你要辭掉工作，破釜沉舟，從你只能忍受的職位，轉到你會喜愛的工作。只可惜，按照這種智慧，反而造成太多人走向財務上的困難、志向受挫、夢想無法完成。有一個比較好的方法，這個方法用不著辭掉工作，也能追逐夢想。
不要做“辭職高手”
Jon Acuff著作的書，《辭職高手》（Quitter），有許多富有智慧的理念，解釋為什么保留日常工作是達成夢想較好的途徑。這些是Acuff列下的幾個原因：
當你有了一份能滿足你的財務需求的日常工作的時候，你就有了自由，讓你只追逐那些會讓你更接近夢想的事物。如果你把工作辭掉了，你可能需要接受一些讓你賺錢，卻又將你從軌道拉開的事物。
當你有了一份你能限制、掌控的日常工作的時候，你就有了時間真正計劃你的策略，建立關系，趁著你還有收入的時候打好基礎。
當你有了一份不完全是你的夢想的工作的時候，你就有了意志，讓你有推動力使夢想推進。
從他的經驗與觀點看，那些能夠建造并成功地達到夢想的人，不是那些魯莽、不負責任地離職的人，而是那些有紀律與決心，用他們目前的處境來支持他們的野心的人。以下是《辭職高手》的引句，讓你深思：
“當你保留你的工作的時候，所有的機會成為了盈余的主張，而不是虧損的彌補。你只需要選擇那些最適合你的夢想的機會。”
“辭去工作不能快速啟動一個夢想，因為夢想需要計劃、目的和進步，才能成功。這些都必須在辭去日常工作之前就做好。”
“我知道聽起來很瘋狂，但是有工作的人往往比沒工作的人更有創意自由。”
在工作中尋找創意自由
此時，你們有些人可能會在想：“聽起來好棒，但是我的工作很費力，耗盡了我的精力、時間和資源。”是，我明白。要追逐夢想，同時又要冰箱里有食物、有電讓食物保冷，真不容易。
另一方面，許多杰出人物，包括一些簡直是天才的人，都這么做到了。一年多前，商業記者Lydia Dishman在Fast Company的網頁上刊登了一篇文章，命名為《10位沒有辭掉工作的著名創意人士》。以下是其中突出的例子：
達斯汀·霍夫曼（Dustin Hoffman）一開始就想當古典鋼琴家。他20歲初期就開始演戲，但這不足以支付他的生活費。他在1967年在電影扮演《畢業生》（The Graduate）里的突出電影角色之前，曾任職戲劇演員，同時曾兼職侍應生（那當然）、臨時打字員（不足為奇）、Macy's百貨公司的玩具示范員。他也曾兼職紐約精神病學研究所的助手，當時的其中一個職責就是在病人接受電休克治療時將他們按住。
雕刻家Richard Serra、作曲家Philip Glass 及 Steve Reich、演員兼作家 Spalding Gray 及畫家兼攝影師Chuck Close 都曾經在他們創作作品、創造名譽的同時，在Serra的“廉價搬遷”（ Low Rate Movers）公司任職家具搬運員。之前也當過水管工人和德士司機的Glass回憶，他曾有一名顧客對他說，他和某位著名的作曲家同名同姓。
作家Kurt Vonnegut在他出版了廣受好評的《自動演奏鋼琴》（Player Piano）的五年后，曾在科德角創立和經營了一家 Saab 經銷商。但是，生意卻徹底地失敗了。Vonnegut 曾調侃道，“我相信我那么久前作為經銷商的失敗，解釋了這個深之迷，就是瑞典人為什么從來沒有頒諾貝爾文學獎給我。”Vonnegut 在汽車商務遇上麻煩之前，也曾擔任新聞記者，以及通用電氣的公關。
當然，這個名單可以列個不停。Jeff Koons曾是股票經紀人.。Mark Rothko曾在小學教書。Julian Schnabel 曾是洗碗員。Keith Haring 曾是打雜員。Patti Smith曾在舊書商工作。
保住日常工作，不必抹滅夢想
怎樣才能不用抹滅夢想，又能繼續自己的日常工作呢？每個困難的問題，都沒有統一的正確答案。我從訓練班上的客戶學到的是，你的理想選擇不會是別人的理想選擇。盡管如此，這里有幾個可以考慮的策略，幫助你想出如何抓住日常工作有形與無形的好處，同時又能向大志愿邁進：
找出日常工作和夢想之間的交接點。那個營銷部門的工作或許沉悶不堪，但你在那里是否能學到一些能幫助你的營業或藝術工程更成功的事物？另一方面，你為樂團營銷CD的經驗，是否能讓你的雇主更成功？最理想的安排，就是你的日常工作能和你的夢想有關聯，反之亦然。尋找連接兩者的方法，就是一種幫助很多人在日常工作中保持思想理性、心情愉快的策略。
尋找一份不需用到太多精力的工作。對有些人來說，追逐夢想的最佳途徑，就是阻力最小的那個途徑。Philip Glass在忙于搬運家具、駕駛德士與修理廁所的當兒，創作了驚人數目的作品。他談論這個時期時說，“我故意選擇了對我不可能有任何意義的工作。”但是我懷疑，Glass從工作上遇見的人和經歷的事所得到的靈感，都以某種形式出現在他的作品里頭。這剛好把我們帶到第三個策略。
從你的夢想的角度對待你的日常工作。日常工作，尤其是企業工作，有著“吸血鬼”的壞名聲，因為它無情無面，會吸干你的生存的意志，更別說是夢想了。實際上，工作是經驗的一個豐富的來源。你會遇見有趣（又時常令人抓狂）的人。你要處理困難（理想中又有意義）的問題。你會學到有用的技巧。這些事物可能會為你的藝術提供靈感，或者為你的事業提供支撐。你只要轉移角度，以不同的眼光看待你的日常工作。
要實際一些。許多日常工作提供的福利會幫助夢想變得更容易實現。顯然地，你應該利用賺來的錢投資于你的夢想的發展。但是，還有許多方法能讓你利用日常工作，實際地支持你的志愿。如果你的雇主提供學費補貼或其他培訓福利，就利用它來增長你的知識、技能及學歷。如果你能通過雇主獲取相關的交流機會，就利用它和志同道合的人聯系。如果你享有有薪假期，就偶爾把這個時間花在你的生意上面。
守住日常工作的同時，保持你的理智、你的心
有太多善意的忠告會告訴我們說，如果要創造有意義的生活，就要放開日常工作，一頭栽進你的夢想。遺憾的是，夢想很少會帶來日常工作所有的安全、保障及穩定。喜劇演員兼評論員Joe Rogan呼吁人們勇敢抉擇的忠告，是出自善意，但是我質疑他的忠告的智慧與信心：
想要安全、保障及穩定沒有錯。與此同時，要有這些，不需要付出放棄追求并達到夢想的代價。保持你的理智、你的心、你的夢想與渴望，是有可能的。我親眼看到朋友、家人、訓練班客戶都做到了，我自己也做到了。不要太過黑白分明地相信你必須辭掉你的工作。你比這更聰明。當你采取精明的做法追逐夢想的時候，你就可以做你所愛的事，愛你所做的事。
要實現我們今生應該實現的事，我們就要全力以赴。就如Vonnegut 在《茫茫黑夜》（Mother Night）里寫道，“我們就像我們所假裝的那樣，所以我們要謹慎自己假裝什么。” |
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