Menialness is a State of Mind

In 20th century America this story was all too common: hard-working immigrant father brings his family to America but can't find work in his chosen profession (e.g., doctor, professor) because his credentials aren't accepted. So he takes a job as a janitor, gardener, short-order cook, etc., because the over-riding goal was to make a better life for his children.

Any personal ambitions were shelved; the father did whatever it took to give his family a chance in the New World.

Too many American children don't have anyone to sacrifice for. Nor are they instilled with a sense of urgency to achieve financial independence by doing what they're good at and setting aside, at least for a while, what they think will bring them a fulfilling life.

Bonnie Hammer paying her dues in 1976 (WSJ)

NBCUniversal vice chair Bonnie Hammer gives some advice to the follow-your-dreamers: [bold added]

“Follow your dreams” is the exhortation of many college commencement speeches, but it is nightmare job advice. Americans are already raised on a diet high in dreams, from fairy tales to superheroes. My own TV networks have been highly successful in selling dreams—but ask any lawyer logging billable hours on a time sheet how much their work life resembles the legal drama “Suits.”

The larger truth is that professional dreams can be incredibly limiting, particularly at the start of our work lives. When we enter the workplace convinced that we already know what we want to do in a specific field and are committed to it at all costs, we’re saying, in essence, that there is very little left for us to learn, discover or be curious about...

So here’s a new truth: Rather than follow your dreams, follow the opportunities. Early in my own career in television, I said yes to two roles in which I had zero interest: managing the budget for a documentary series and learning the “new” technology of CDs. The first one taught me about the economics of getting a show on the air, the second about the quick changes technology visits on entertainment.

By developing my knowledge and appreciation for all aspects of getting quality productions on the air, I came to value each department responsible for a show’s success—not just the more glamorous ones. When I moved up in management, eventually running multiple cable TV networks, I was better prepared than some of my peers, who had a more limited portfolio of experiences. Yes, we all benefit from goals and dreams, but the key is knowing the difference between possessing dreams versus allowing dreams to possess us. Following opportunities is more likely to lead us to new skills, connections and people. Even when the opportunity doesn’t pan out exactly as we intended, we learn from it. And along the way, opportunities allow us to develop new and better ideas of what our more mature professional dreams might look like. After all, how many of our early dreams are really ours, as opposed to other peoples’ dreams grafted onto us? This truth about “follow your dreams” highlights a companion lie and truth: We may be told “know your worth,” but the truth is you need to “work on your worth.” The mantra of many life coaches, “know your worth,” says you should never settle for anything less than you deserve. But while we deserve good friends, partners and even unclogged shower drains in our first apartments, as young people early on in our careers, most of us are somewhat worthless, and we should expect to be treated that way...

But here’s the truth: While we are all born with personal worth, we have to earn our professional worth. No matter your academic record, the summer internships you’ve held or even your last job, when we step into a new workplace, we start fresh. And when our careers are beginning, that often means doing the menial labor, the unsexy assignments and the mindless tasks we might feel are beneath us. But someone has to do them. Why wouldn’t it be us? On the job, people will only know our worth once they know our work. That takes time, effort and consistency. It’s not based on potential or promise but on results...

If I wanted to be a valuable asset to my colleagues and bosses, I knew I needed to add concrete value to their days by showing up, staying late and doing whatever needed to be done. So maybe we need to set aside the current myth that remaking the workplace will somehow unleash a wave of professional success. Instead, it might be time for a healthy dose of truth. For young employees who want to feel “engaged” at work, the truth is, you need to engage with your work first. On the job, our worth is determined not by how we feel but by what we do.

We are led astray by the one-in-a-million people who followed their dreams in music or sports, for example, and struck it big. Bonnie Hammer's advice applies to us normals, as it does to your humble blogger.

The only advice I have is to follow your dreams on your personal time, if possible--you can keep writing, painting, film-making, working on recipes--to find out if an activity was really your dream.

Also, keep yourself as healthy as possible in readiness for that day when you don't have to defer your dreams any longer. It will do little good to have the money and time--but not the ability--to do what you've always wanted.