[Off-Topic] Wake up Call

This week I watched the excellent film Up in the Air (recommended). I identify a lot with the way Ryan Bingham thinks, but the article isn’t about that. The film tells the story of a “career transition” professional (a euphemism for “the guy who fires people”). The film’s idea isn’t to be a moral lesson or anything, but there’s a clip worth sharing:

Everyone knows I avoid self-help, but every now and then I think it isn’t all that bad ;-) One thing I always tell almost everyone who has worked with me in recent years: jobs aren’t for life — you never know where you’ll be tomorrow and you should never assume you’ll be in the same place. While you’re at a job you should do everything possible to do the best work possible, even when that often means pulling all-nighters, working extra, and bearing big responsibilities.

Up to the limit of what’s tolerable and doesn’t mean abuse. But remember that, unless you’re the owner of the company, a partner, or a sizable shareholder, that limit must be quite short. Whether you make R$40k/year or R$250k/year doesn’t make a difference. The result is always the same: the longer you stay in the same place, doing the same thing, the less you’re worth. There’s only one person you owe blind loyalty to: yourself.

The most important: what’s your goal? Why are you doing what you’re doing? Does what you’re doing today contribute to the goal you want to reach? And if not, why do you keep doing it? “But I don’t have any particular goal…” — Well, find one.