thank you I want to discuss with you
this afternoon why you can fail to have a great career
I'm I'm an economist I do dismal
ended the day it's ready for dis my remarks
I only wanna talk to those of you who are
who want a great career I know someone you have already decided you want a good
career
you're gonna fail to because
good job cherry about failing a Canadian group
on deadly those trying a good tree year's gonna fail
because really good jobs are now disappearing
there are great jobs and great careers
and then there are the high workload high-stress
blood-sucking soul-destroying kinds of jobs
and practically nothing in between so the people looking for good jobs are
gonna fail
i wanna talk about those looking for great jobs great rears
NY you're going to why you're going to fail first reason is that
no matter how many times people tell you
you if you want a great career you have to pursue your passion you have to
pursue your dreams
you have to pursue holding you're the greatest fascination in your life
you hear it again and again and then you decide not to do it
it doesn't matter how many times you download Stephen Jays
Stanford commencement address you still look at it and decided not to do it I'm
not quite sure why I decided not to do it
you're too lazy to do it it's too hard you're afraid if you look for your
passion don't find it you'll feel like you're
idiot so then you make excuses about why you're not going to look for your
passion
and they are excuses latest downloadable from whole long list
you are creativity and taking up excuses not to do what you really
need to do if you want have a great career so also raised taxes me
so for example 180 a gracious excuses
is well great careers
I really and truly for most people just a matter of luck
cell I can stand around I'm gonna try to be lucky
and if I'm lucky I'll be have a great career if not I'll have a good career
but a good tree a reason a possibility
so that's not gonna work then your other excuses yes
there are special people who pursue their their passions
but they are geniuses they are Stephen J
I'm not a genius when I was 5i thought I was a genius
but my professors have beaten that idea that my head long since
now and now I know I am
completely confident now you see if this was nineteen fifty
being completely conch competent that would have given you a great career but
guess what this is almost
2012 and saying to the world
I am totally completely confident is damning yourself
with us faintest up trays and then of course another excuse
well I would do I would do this a bit do this but
but well after all I'm not weird
everybody knows that people who pursue their passions
are somewhat obsessive a little strange them
me okay you know a fine line between
madness ingenious I'm not weird ivory and a bread Stephen Jays
biography oh my goodness I'm not that person
I am nice I am normal I'm nice normal person and nice normal people
don't have passion of
but I still want a great career I'm not prepared to pursue my passion
China lamb going to do because I have I have a solution
I have a strategy it's the one mommy and daddy told me about
mommy and daddy told me data I worked hard I have a good career
so he if you work hard have a good career
if you work really really really hard he'll have a great career doesn't act
like mathematically make sense
who did not which is managed to talk yourself
into that you know what here's a little secret you wanna work
you I work really really really hard you know what he'll succeed the world will
give you the opportunity
to work a really really really really hard
but are you so sure that
thats going to give you a great career when all the evidence
is to the contrary selects assume
let's deal with those of you who are trying to find your passion you actually
understand it you really had better do it
nevermind the excuses you're trying to find your passion
to yourself happy you found something you're interested in
I have an interest have an interest you tell me he said have an interest I say
that's wonderful
and what what you trying to tell me that shit live in interest
I say do the passion I have an interest you say
your interest as compared to what well I'm interested in this
and what about the rest a few amenities activities
I'm not interested in them you look at the mall have you
no not exactly passion
is your greatest love passion is a thing
get will help you create
the highest expression pure talent passion interest
it's not the same thing are you really gonna go to your sweetie and say
marry me your interesting
won't happen bump happening you will die alone
%ah what you want what you want what you want
is passion it is beyond interest
you need 20 interests and then one of them
one is there might be great grabbed one of them might engage in more than
anything else
and then you may have found your greatest loving
in comparison to all the other things that interest you
and that's what passion is and a friend
propose to his sweetie she was an economically rational person
he said to a sweetie yet asked Mary
let us merger interests
yes he did I love you truly he said I love you
deeply I love you more than any other woman
i'd ever encountered I love you more than Mary
Jane Susie Penelope Ingrid
gertrude grapple I was on a German exchange program then
I love you more than Kenneth alright
she left the room halfway through his and numeration
up his love for her after he got over his surprise at being him
turned down feat concluded he had a narrow
skate from marrying a irrational person
although he did make a note to himself that the next time he proposed it was
perhaps
not necessary to enumerate all the women he had auditioned
for the part but the point stands
you must look for alternatives so that you find your destiny
or are you afraid of the world at word s the needs the world destinies
the word destiny scare you if that's what you're talking about
and if you don't find the highest expression a pure talent
if you settle for interesting what the hell ever that means
do you know what will happen at the end of your long life
your friends and family gathered this cemetery
and their beside a grave site will be a tombstone
inscribed on that to mister which will say here lies a Distinguished Engineer
who invented velcro but what
that tombstone should have said
in an alternative lifetime what it should have said
if it was your highest expression of talent was
here lies the last Nobel laureate in physics
who formulated the grand unified field theory
and demonstrated the practicality award drive
velcro indeed
one was a great career
one was a missed
opportunity but then there are some love you
in spite of all these excuses you will find
you will find your passion and you'll still
fail you can fail
because because you're not going to do it
because you have invented you excuse
any excuse to fail to take action
and this excuse I've heard so many times
yes I would pursue a
rate career but
a value human relationships
more than accomplishment I want to be a great friend
I want to be a great spouse I want to be a great parent
and I will not sacrifice them on the alter
of great accomplishment what you want me to say
not do you want me to say now tell you you really ice where I don't kick
children
look at the world deal you're giving yourself
you're right here all no matter what and I by suggesting
he'd ever so delicately that you might want a great career
was take children don't hate children I don't kick them yes there was a little
kid wanting to this building
%uh when I came here and no I didn't kick him
course I had to tell in the building was for adults only and to get
out he mumbled something about his mother and I told him
she probably find them outside anyway my son my son is on the stairs crying
up 10 win well but tell me that's what you expect me to say
do you really think you really think it's appropriate that you should
actually take
children and use them as a shield
you know what will happen someday you you
ideal parent you ticket will come to you someday and say
I'm no I wanna be. I'm know what I'm gonna do with my life
you were so happy it's a conversation a parent wants to hear
that struck its good at math you know you're going to like what comes next
says your kid have decided I want to be
a magician I wanna perform magic tricks on the stage
and what do you say
you say you say
I am that's risky kid
%uh and at macphail kid don't make a lot of money at that kid you know I don't
know can you should think about that again
kid you're so good at math why don't you and that kid interrupt you and says but
it is my dream
is my dream to do this and what are you going to say
you know what you're gonna say let kid I had a dream one still but
but tell you to finish the sentence
with your butt but I dream to one skid
but I was afraid to pursue it or you gonna tell me this
I had a dream once kid but then you were born
in on
didn't really do you really want to use
your family do really ever wanna look your spouse
a kid I see our jailers it was something you could have set your kid
when here she said
I have a dream you could have said
the the kid in the face and said before
kid just like
I'd but you won't be able to say that
has your didn't sell yet K
ensure the since the parents
are visited on the porch
why would you seek refuge
it human relationships as your excuse
not to find and pursue your passion
you know why in your heart of hearts you know why
and I'm being deadly serious you know why you would get all warm and fuzzy and
wrap yourself up in human relationships
it is cuz you are you know what you are
you were afraid to pursue your passion
you're afraid to look ridiculous you afraid
to try you're afraid you may fail break
friend great spouse great parent
sanctuary year the south on a package
is that not who you are how could the one without the other
but you are afraid and that's
by you or not went have a great
career on
less I'm let's
that most votive I'll english words
I know class but the unless
word is also attached to that other
most terrifying phrase
he only ahead if
only I head if you ever
have that thought ricocheting in your brain
it will church a lot so
does at the many reasons where you're going to fail
to have a great career unless
unless
thank you
the