Bere is amazing and is full of gems of wisdom. I would encourage people to try the exercises. When you talk to Bere you realize that a life of passion is not out of reach at all, and that you do have the power to create a career and ultimately a life that fulfills you in more way than one.
Great story! I must admit that I found it difficult to imagine my work as a person. But having said that, I love my work, so it may visit me day and night!
Hi Harry,
Thanks for sharing that it was hard for you to imagine your work that way. Yes, I think it can take some practice. And, how wonderful to hear that you love your work! Congratulations.
Hi! I think you can help a lot of people. A relative of mine was so miserable in his old job that he almost quit his career ~ this career he dreamed of since he was a kid. He thought getting a regular 9-5 office job would be better and less stressful for him. But then he tweaked it (doing the same work but for a different place) and now he loves it. You can help people by encouraging them to pause and reflect before making a drastic, emotionally-charged decision. Thank you for what you do!
Yes, yes, yes. Great advice. I’m always asking myself “To what end?” before I pick up some self-improvement practice. Like, I could get into real estate to make money, but to what end? To be happy. But I don’t enjoy real estate, so I wouldn’t be making myself money. But that path might be totally great for someone else.
These questions are some tough cookies because it would ‘invite’ my work into my living room and that’s not where I’d like them. I’ve asked myself the questions out loud and let my subconsciousness answer them the following days. The first question I have about quitting and working for myself is mostly ‘am I able to afford my mortgage’, so the relationship ‘take’ puts it in a totally different perspective. Thanks!
Hi Paul! Thanks for sharing that these questions were some tough cookies and how much you didn’t want to invite your work into your living room! Many people can probably relate to that…
Great job on sticking with the hard questions and letting answers arise. I also totally hear you about the financial aspects of quitting your job and working for yourself, these are definitely important questions to consider. (In general, the safest way to quit a job is to build a side business to the point where it covers your expenses and only quit once you’ve reached that point.) Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
I love this concept & these questions around if your work was a person, what would your relationship (and the relationship’s effects on you) look like! This is very powerful to put things in a unique context to gain new insights. Many people discount the effect that a job can have on their entire life, but using these questions is a powerful way to examine things more meaningfully. Love it!
Thanks for a useful exercise. I found that I was unable to disentangle my boss from the persona I gave to my job. Rather than being a problem, though, that allowed me to see how much my dedication to a mostly unfulfilling current career has to do with my fondness and respect for her, as well as my sense of guilt about potentially moving to a different line of work. It helped me see that my work and I could still have a relationship, but that I need new projects that align more with my interests as well.
Bere is amazing and is full of gems of wisdom. I would encourage people to try the exercises. When you talk to Bere you realize that a life of passion is not out of reach at all, and that you do have the power to create a career and ultimately a life that fulfills you in more way than one.
Awws, thank you so much, Pavita!
Great story! I must admit that I found it difficult to imagine my work as a person. But having said that, I love my work, so it may visit me day and night!
Hi Harry,
Thanks for sharing that it was hard for you to imagine your work that way. Yes, I think it can take some practice. And, how wonderful to hear that you love your work! Congratulations.
Hi! I think you can help a lot of people. A relative of mine was so miserable in his old job that he almost quit his career ~ this career he dreamed of since he was a kid. He thought getting a regular 9-5 office job would be better and less stressful for him. But then he tweaked it (doing the same work but for a different place) and now he loves it. You can help people by encouraging them to pause and reflect before making a drastic, emotionally-charged decision. Thank you for what you do!
Oh wow, thanks for sharing that story. Janet! Yes, a dream job can turn into a nightmare.
I’m really glad that your relative was able to tweak what he was doing and that he now loves it. That’s so amazing.
Jam packed with incredible gems and unbelievable insight. Practical advice that anyone who is on the fence should tune into!
Thank you, Christopher! I’m glad you found this helpful.
Yes, yes, yes. Great advice. I’m always asking myself “To what end?” before I pick up some self-improvement practice. Like, I could get into real estate to make money, but to what end? To be happy. But I don’t enjoy real estate, so I wouldn’t be making myself money. But that path might be totally great for someone else.
I think “To what end?” is such a great question to ask. Thanks for sharing this, Tony!
Thank you for the worksheet!
Thank you, Jackie!
These questions are some tough cookies because it would ‘invite’ my work into my living room and that’s not where I’d like them. I’ve asked myself the questions out loud and let my subconsciousness answer them the following days. The first question I have about quitting and working for myself is mostly ‘am I able to afford my mortgage’, so the relationship ‘take’ puts it in a totally different perspective. Thanks!
Hi Paul! Thanks for sharing that these questions were some tough cookies and how much you didn’t want to invite your work into your living room! Many people can probably relate to that…
Great job on sticking with the hard questions and letting answers arise. I also totally hear you about the financial aspects of quitting your job and working for yourself, these are definitely important questions to consider. (In general, the safest way to quit a job is to build a side business to the point where it covers your expenses and only quit once you’ve reached that point.) Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
Hi Bere,
This is awesome. It’s great to have something tangible to work through rather than toss thoughts and questions around in your head!
Thanks so much, Anita! I’m glad you found this tangible and more helpful than tossing thoughts and questions around in your head!
I love this concept & these questions around if your work was a person, what would your relationship (and the relationship’s effects on you) look like! This is very powerful to put things in a unique context to gain new insights. Many people discount the effect that a job can have on their entire life, but using these questions is a powerful way to examine things more meaningfully. Love it!
Thanks so much for your comment, Jeff! I’m really glad you found it helpful.
Hi Bere,
Thanks for a useful exercise. I found that I was unable to disentangle my boss from the persona I gave to my job. Rather than being a problem, though, that allowed me to see how much my dedication to a mostly unfulfilling current career has to do with my fondness and respect for her, as well as my sense of guilt about potentially moving to a different line of work. It helped me see that my work and I could still have a relationship, but that I need new projects that align more with my interests as well.
Oh wow, it sounds like you got a lot out of it, KR! That’s a great insight. Congrats and thanks for giving this exercise a try.