The title of this post is taken directly from the name of a lecture that Henry David Thoreau gave starting in the mid 1850′s. The transcript of the lecture itself later appeared in the Atlantic Monthly.
The lecture really underscores the essence of who Thoreau was. A man who truly was an iconoclastic thinker. He constantly questioned the way man made a living, in particular, his relationship to money. It’s really not a different story from today. People get caught up in ‘escaping the cube,’ or ‘escaping 9-5,’ but is that really the end goal here?
What are we escaping from?
Or, maybe I should state, ‘where are we escaping to?’ I often wonder what people are striving for. Is it to make money? Surely there is a need for money in our lives, but how much and what for? For clothing, shelter and food? Or is it for a new LCD TV, the latest iPhone or the coolest Mac computer on the market?
What are we escaping from if the goal is to leave a 9-5 job only to work at home or some other location for the same amount of time with the same end goal in mind – money? Are we really any less of a ‘slave’ if we work for a giant corporation or if we work for ourselves for the exact same end goal?
Thoreau wrote this in his article:
The ways by which you may get money almost without exception lead downward. To have done anything by which you earn money merely is to have been truly idle or worse. If the laborer gets no more than his employer pays him, he is cheated, he cheats himself.”
What he is really getting at here is the difference between “living” and “making a living.”
I fall into this trap myself as do many others. What are we really doing to ‘live’ as opposed to ‘making a living?’ Who are some people you know that truly embody what it is to live? Just a few come to the top of my head immediately.
Roz Savage who I mentioned in my last article on personal goal setting.
Steven Roberts who I read about on Thrilling Heroics. I sent Cody a personal thank you for sharing that article. Read it if you haven’t.
Greg Mortenson who is co-founder of the Central Asia Institute. The book, Three Cups of Tea, is based on his life. If you haven’t read the book, read it. Take off any books on your list having to do with internet marketing, lifestyle design, productivity, etc. Make this #1. The book is amazing and this guy is a frickin’ rockstar.
The above three set an example (and there are plenty more out there). It’s not what they do for a living that’s impressive, it’s how they live.
It’s something to think about and something that I spend quite a bit of time pondering myself. I’ve been so focused on what to do instead of how to live.
Make no mistake about it, just because you are industrious and busy and making money doesn’t mean that you are successful. Success shouldn’t come from the praise from others or the status you have or the money you make. Success comes from living in true alignment with yourself. Success comes from constant learning, and not just for the goal of ‘being knowledgeable,’ but for the benefit it gives you and only you.
You must get your living by loving
The above heading is another direct quote from Thoreau’s essay. He just gets it. You must do what you love. You must do with your life that which makes you happy. To do otherwise is cheating yourself.
Those slight labors which afford me a livelihood, and by which it is allowed that I am to some extent serviceable to my contemporaries, are as yet commonly a pleasure to me, and I am not often reminded that they are a necessity. So far I am successful. But I foresee that if my wants should be such increased, the labor required to supply them would become a drudgery.
What Thoreau is saying here is that work is not work to him. What he does to make a living, if he would even consider it that, is enjoyable. He doesn’t trade time for money in its strictest sense. It’s more of a benefit he receives from doing something he loves. If wants increase so that he would be required to work as opposed to choose to work, it would quickly become a drudgery.
So, I encourage you to start thinking about this. What are you working on? What are you working towards? Are you working on valuable activities or are you consumed by ‘business’ for the sake of being busy and making yourself more money? I’d love to know what you think.
I’m Nate, a writer, mindfulness practitioner and student of the inner workings of the mind.
I think this is a huge risk now more than ever Nate. With so many looking to unconventional paths toward making a living, there’s a tendency to get overly focused on the making, at the expense of the living.
It’s a bit of a catch 22, in this world we inhabit, but it’s a worthy ideal…thanks for getting the wheels spinning.
.-= Jeb´s last blog ..How I edit photos =-.
Jeb – thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it. Yeah, and I have to admit that maybe I’ve gotten caught up in it myself. I really want to step back and focus more on living, not how I make a living.
The internet is a beautiful place and it’s truly a beneficial medium for spreading and sharing ideas. If it wasn’t for the internet, I wouldn’t have met someone like yourself. The thing is, there is a lot of noise out there and I think some get so caught up in trying to consume everything and ‘keep in the loop’ that they really don’t make any progress and maybe end up getting more lost.
Also, I totally agree with the Catch-22. We do have to make some money after all, right? Maybe I’m just overly idealistic, but I do think you can make money doing something that you love, whatever it is. If it’s working in a coffee shop, great. If it’s being a high powered bank executive, great. Just make sure you love it.
I’m living for sure, just getting into trouble with making a living these days, so I need to refocus on earning something from time to time.
By the way, I think there is some kind of (a bit weird formatted) online version of Mortensen˚s book. Maybe this is of value to your readers: http://cetl.edtech.csulb.edu/3cups/#
Fabian – thanks for the link! Yeah, the book is amazing and so is how that guy has lived his life. Completely selfless and with love.
Yup, I definitely need to focus on earning something as well. I just want to be sure that how I ‘make’ a living and how I live are in alignment.
Yeah, this alignment is what I’m striving for, too!
This might be my favorite post ever at Fearless E-money.
I had read the first Thoreau quote somewhere, at some time, and it resonated with me then, and hit me like a ton of bricks now. You make a solid point in questioning whether or not we are escaping the slavery by spending the same amount of time working from home, versus in a corp., but…hopefully if you’ve made that decision, you’ve done so because whatever you’re working on at home is something you’re insanely passionate about! The muse concept of lifestyle design would fall contrary to that, in all likelihood, but if your muse is operating as it should, then you shouldn’t be at home for 8 hours a day, anyway.
In all cases, loved the post, Nate. Keep on rockin’ it!!!
.-= Ash´s last blog ..Why I’d Rather Be a Mexican Immigrant Than a Corporate CEO =-.
Ash – great to hear from you!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I actually am not really against the must concept. Like you said, as long as it’s operating as it should, then you shouldn’t be at home for 8 hours a day anyway. I guess I don’t want to get to the point where all my time is spent updating twitter and reading everyone’s twitter posts and trying to follow a zillion blogs just so I can ‘stay in the loop.’ Now, it might not seem like work to some if they truly love doing that, but I’m not sure how beneficial it would be from a growing and learning perspective if I become a robot who is chained to my computer all day just to stay current. It’s not much different than being chained to a desk……but, at the same time some if it is a necessity if you want to get out there and meet people and network. Kind of going on a tangent here, because really this gets into time management and productivity, which is another subject I really enjoy.
At this point, I’m just trying to experiment with a lot of different things. I’ve dabbled in some affiliate stuff, I’m learning more about HTML and I’m writing this blog. I’d also like to do some non-computer related stuff, such as take up the guitar again.
Hey Nate – you’ve perfectly summed up that internal struggle that I’d guess most of us, especially rat race escapees, unconventional life seekers, etc. face at some point. It is quite confusing to me that I have to spend so much time in front of my computer, being productive in terms of building my website, but being unproductive in terms of following my passion of adventure travel. And every time I read about someone that drops everything and puts 100% of their time and energy into what they are passionate about, success seems to come naturally as a result…yet I hesitate to buy a plane ticket to Burundi for next week and follow in those footsteps!
By the way, I’m really enjoying your site…an excellent find!
.-= Earl´s last blog ..The Bizarre Magazine That Will Inspire You…to Shoot Marshmallows =-.
Earl – thanks for the comment and kind words, I really appreciate it.
I know, I have to admit that I’m having this internal struggle over this. On the one hand, I’d like to make some money doing something online, but on the other, I don’t want to become a slave to my computer and Twitter so that it feels like a chore. It’s certainly not black and white by any means…there are a lot of gray areas. Also, by saying this, I’m not expecting things to be easy and I understand that hard work is involved. I just want to make sure that it’s all done for the right reasons. My motto now is to just keep experimenting.
Experimenting is definitely a good plan because we don’t want to work on one project, dedicate hours of computer time to it, only to discover that it is not feasible in the end…that would actually push us backwards from our overall goal as we’d have lost time and have to start all over again.
I have nothing against hard work either, as long as it is helping me achieve my goals, which sometimes I can’t really determine if it is…
Well, regardless, it’s time for me to do some more work! Have a good day man.
.-= Earl´s last blog ..The Bizarre Magazine That Will Inspire You…to Shoot Marshmallows =-.
Hi Nate,
It comes back to the question of whether we are doing something that we love to make a living. I believe the internet makes everything possible and I saw many examples of people who are blogging and tweeting about the subject they love and making a living.
If anyone is thinking about getting out of the 9 – 5, most probably somewhere in your are unsatisfied about your job and you are not enjoying it. If it is, then go out there and look for your real passion, what you can be doing that you are enjoying while earning an income. It isn’t easy to make that decision, but making that decision may help to free you up and allows you to truly enjoy life.
Cheers,
Vincent
.-= Vincent´s last blog ..Facing The Giants: Are You Really Giving Your Best? =-.
Hi Vincent – thanks for stopping by and thanks for the comment. Yup, I’m definitely searching for that right now. I agree with your above comment. It has to come down to love when you’re making a living. We spend so much of our waking lives doing work that to not do something that you love is just cheating yourself….as Thoreau says.
I couldn’t agree more. While I admit to having sold years of my life away to “earning a living,” I find that even with a reduced income, doing what I TRULY love and understand versus working an employer is the ONLY way I can live life completely happy.
Also… you get a few bonus points for mentioning Henry David Thoreau
.-= Travis´s last blog ..Understanding Comfort Zones =-.
Travis – thanks for the comment. I couldn’t agree more. More money DOES NOT equal more happiness. I can attest to that personally. I’m making well over x2 what I was making coming out of college, however, I’m not necessarily any happier or more fulfilled because of that money. In fact, I think simplifying and downsizing are keys to more happiness.
I read this post from Ash’s blog:
http://www.themiddlefingerproject.org/why-seeking-a-meaningful-career-is-bad-advice/
And I think it makes sense. You work so you have money to do other things. It’s a mean to an end. It’s not necessary to just do what you love. What you do and how much you make is just a part of you, not the whole you.
.-= Phong Nguyen´s last blog ..Leaf Spectrum at Kontraband =-.
Phong -
Well…..I think that’s okay as long as you love what you are doing. Are you working just to do other things? Are you spending your time not being present, but just thinking about the ‘other things’ you can do or waiting for the next ‘thing’ (vacation, experience, etc.).? If so, I think that can be a problem.
Now, I need to qualify this. I firmly believe people can get joy out of a multitude of jobs. It doesn’t have to be saving the world or creating the next big business or even starting some social revolution. Some of my most rewarding jobs have been what some would consider the most mundane (e.g. line cook and dishwasher at a restaurant). I don’t even necessarily think ‘lifestyle design’ as so many people promote it, is some sort of salvation.
The key is being totally present in what you’re doing and not only loving what you do, but appreciating each moment for what it is….whether you deem it is ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ That’s the key and I think that’s what Thoureau got and so many others miss.
I can see your point about being in the moment. Thanks Nate.
.-= Phong Nguyen´s last blog ..Leaf Spectrum at Kontraband =-.