Elizabeth Gilbert on Distinguishing Between Hobbies, Jobs, Careers, & Vocation | Acumen Academy

[Music] first of all sweetheart making a career as an artist is impossible almost everywhere but here's the good news okay let me break this down for you I'm going to define four words that I think people confuse and sometimes interchange and I think it's really essential to to recognize the difference between these four words all right ready stay with me on this one hobby 2 job 3 career 4 vocation write these words down ready hobby job career vocation these are four different words because they're four different things all right they totally mean different things and I'm going to just give you a little overview and I hope that this will help you to maybe find a way that you can be in the world and be happier first a hobby a hobby is something that you do purely for pleasure a hobby is something that you do to prove that you're not just an automaton robot working in the machine you know producing consuming and as I always say paying bills and wasted eyes um here's the wonderful thing about a hobby the stakes are zero the stakes are nothing the stakes don't matter at all you don't have to make money from your hobby you don't have to get famous from your hobby nobody has to know anything about your hobby your hobby just brings you pleasure and makes you feel like you're more than just a cog in a machine so here's something you could do you could start doing art and creativity as a hobby right for all the time people have had hobbies and enjoyed hobbies you can do that you can do that any time that's on your own time no one needs to see it just do it because it's fun do it because it's enjoyable that's great you do not have to have a hobby it is not required it's a nice thing to have it makes you feel like your life is just not about the grind right so think about that number two job here's what you do have to have you have to have a job out of that list hobby job career vocation the only thing that you actually do have to have is a job you have pay the bills we live in a material world like you know many jobs I've had in my life even as I was making art you know all through my 20s I usually had three jobs at a time two to three day jobs at a time and I never resented it because I understand the contract the contract is there's material world and then there's like spiritual artistic world they don't always intersect that's fine I loved having a job I never resented having a job because having a job was the way that I kept the contract of taking care of myself as a mature adult in the world being reasonable being rational being able to pay my bills being able to not be a burden on other people not waiting for someone to come along and save me not waiting for a sugar daddy not waiting for an art patron not waiting for somebody to give me a grant not waiting for somebody to publish anything that I was doing right like just taking care of myself providing for myself and guess who else has had a job almost every artist who has ever lived has had a job most of the things of beauty and value that were made in this world were made by people who were not landed gentry right who were people who had to get by other ways they were farmers they were businessmen they were Melville when he was writing Moby Dick you know was working in the customs office he had a job as a whole entire life he was never able to just be a novelist hardly anybody is ever able to just be a novelist to just be an actor to just be a poet to just be a musician precious few people ever get to do that but if you love it you can do it on the side right but yeah you need a job and here's the great thing about a job it doesn't have to be awesome it doesn't have to fulfill you it doesn't have to be joyful it doesn't have to it just has to pay that's it like I touched so many jobs that I didn't love I've had so many jobs that I didn't like whatever you go and do it you give them the thing that you're giving them and you take the money in return that's the exchange that's fine now look if it's killing you if it's toxic if you're being you know abused and manipulated if it's terrible if you can get out of it you need better job do it right but just recognize your job doesn't have to be your whole life your life can be outside of that right but yeah guess what you have to have a job number three career here's another thing you do not have to have right rear is a job that you are passionate about and that you love right now a career is something where you're willing to make sacrifices you're willing to work extra hours you're willing to put your life on the line for this thing because you believe in the mission of what your career is if you're in a career right now that you hate that's terrible right if you're in a job that you hate that's okay but it doesn't matter and if you're in a career that you can't stand my suggestion is that you quit that career and just go get a job just go get a regular job to pay the bills so you can do other things you should love your career you should love your career or not have one that's completely how I feel about careers not necessary but if you have one make sure you love it otherwise there's no point you're just grinding yourself out for nothing number four the holiest most sacred most amazing and mystical pursuit of all vocation a vocation is a calling a vocation is a divine invitation a vocation is the voice of the universe in your ear saying I want you to do this thing I want to use your talents and gifts to make this thing I want you to participate in the story of creation in this way right we're living within creation we are participants within creation this is your piece of it that's your vocation it comes from the Latin a calling to be called right a vocation is the highest possible pursuit that you can do here's the amazing thing about having a vocation nobody can take it from you nobody can give it to you and nobody can take it from you somebody can take your job away from you somebody can take your career away from you nobody can take your vocation away from you writing was my vocation for about seven to ten years before it became my job right long before anybody was interested in what I was writing long before anybody cared about me at all writing was my sacred vocation I wrote every day because it was a holy calling because I needed to put something into the world because I needed to put my handprint on the wall of my life and say that I was here and I had a commitment to my vocation that said I will do this for as long as I breathe regardless of whether anything ever comes with it in the meantime I will have a job and what I will not have is a career because I know that if I commit myself to a career I will not have time for my vocation so I'm just going to have a job in fact I might have a bunch of jobs I'm going to be a bartender I'm going to be a waitress I'm going to work in bookstores I'm going to be an au pair I'm going to be a cook I'm going to be a babysitting that you can do that doesn't overtake your life like a career just going to menial jobs and my vocation my calling my purpose is to be a writer and it doesn't matter whatever comes with this now here's the interesting thing first writing the one thing that writing never was for me was a hobby right it was out but I have other hobbies karaoke is a hobby gardening is a hobby writing poetry is a hobby making art is a hobby I'm not terrific at any other stuff I just do it because it's fun cooking can be a hobby for me but my vocation since I was a teenager was writing so for a long time it was a private vocation and then it became a job because I got some jobs working on magazines doing journalism and then it became a career which is what it is for me now because I put all my life into developing it and growing it and as a career I have to be aware of what my audience thinks of me I have to be aware of what my relationships are with my publishers I have to be aware of what I say on social media and how it benefits my sales of my books I have to look at all that stuff because it's my career here's the thing my career as a writer might end someday the publishing industry might end someday industries are being born and dying all the time people might decide they don't care about my books anymore and my career as a writer will end my vocation will not my vocation is a fire that I will keep going so if my career as a writer ends guess what I'm going to do next I'm going to get a job I'm gonna get a job and I want to keep writing in my bedroom like I did before anybody cared and I'll keep doing that after people care so what I'm saying to you is that if you've confused your job or your career with what it means to be creative and have an artist and you think because you have a job or a career you're not allowed to pursue your passion your fascinations with color and texture your nations with theater you are wrong you are wrong and you're actually being I'm going to call you out on this I'll help it lazy a little bit lazy and a little lacking in self accountability you do not have to disappoint your family and throw away your job in your career in order to make art and you have time and you have other time that you can use if you have a hobby or if you have a vocation then you can live a creative life at the same time as living in the material world in fact that is the only way it has ever been done so that's your assignment think about those words Hobby job career vocation decide where you stand on all of them and don't let go of this incredibly fierce self accountability that it takes for you to recognize that you're in control of all of those things

Channel: Acumen Academy

Views: 152,997

Rating: 4.9575744 out of 5

Keywords: +Acumen, Elizabeth Gilbert, starting projects, pursuing interests and passions, finding your passion, curiosity and creativity, creative struggles, big magic, figuring out your job, hobby and job

Id: 0g7ARarFNnw

Length: 9min 43sec (583 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 19 2017