Career News 24/7: The Cynical Girl: Work Is Not A Pathway To Meaning

Friday, January 18, 2013

The Cynical Girl: Work Is Not A Pathway To Meaning

Posted: 17 Jan 2013 03:45 AM PST

I started blogging back in 2004 because an ex-boyfriend of mine had a blog. I wanted to see what it was all about.

I also wanted to learn how to write more effectively. I was stuck in a crummy job (HR) and owned a home in a crummy town (Kalamazoo). I lived an unremarkable life.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was looking for meaning.

I quickly learned that blogging gave me a mission. I designed my site to create a community where I could talk about the things that motivated me to be a better person: work, power, politics and money. I also wanted to have fun so I wrote about cats, food, celebrity gossip and tons of other dumb stuff.

Then when I had a chance, I grabbed an opportunity to be a paid writer. I started speaking. I consulted on B2B marketing and social media strategies. But I only took those jobs to supplement the blogging.

There are many blogs out there that have better traffic, but I know for a fact that I have no competition. There is nothing else like my website on the market. And what makes this blog more successful than most is that I am not in this for the entertainment. This blog is based on truth — whether it’s about poop or HR or cats.

And when this blog isn’t about truth, it sucks.

So if you have something in your life that is a pathway to truth, pursue it relentlessly. And remember that your job isn’t a pathway to meaning.

Sometimes a job is just a job.