Paul Graham - Latest Comments in How to Do What You Love

Re: How to Do What You Love

Mayne — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:59:11 -0000

this is so cool....=] yea... but it's too long.. my eyes are hella burning.. but at least it worthy....

Re: How to Do What You Love

jdm ek9 — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:54:30 -0000

interesting topic. yes indeed . :]

Re: How to Do What You Love

Ari — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:27:32 -0000

great topic discussion and great feedback...nice to feel like it's ok to do what you love, cause either way you look at it, life is short so why waste your time lying to yourself and living unhappily if you can drop all the perspectives society has built for us to go with something secure in a job, why not pursue something that's secure in your heart?

Re: How to Do What You Love

Guest — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:56:15 -0000

hey there, thank you so much for taking the time to write this article! I think you did a great job at pin pointing a lot of the struggles many of us fight when it comes to deciding what we want to do in life. I'm graduating from high school this year and so one of the biggest challenges for me has been trying to figure out where to go next. It's been really overwhelming for me, because all of a sudden i'm just supposed to know what I want to do for the rest of my life.
anyhow thanx, your article helped clear up some thoughts going around in my mind and make me feel a little better about things.

Re: How to Do What You Love

Marinus — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:11:06 -0000

I think the best article I red in years. I am 26 and taking the two-job rout for 2.5 years now. Its just thay way you describe it. I see so many people doning work only to pay bills, but don't enjoy it. I know that creativity is a tool we all got, but sadly most of us lose it or hide it, because of the way the world set the rules. And sadly we belive those rules. I want to encouradge young people to work on their cretivity and experience and new world with posibilities for themselves. Marinus

Re: How to Do What You Love

Emma — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:59:18 -0000

I like the attempt of an explanation on behalf of Mr Graham, but I am not convinced that was his intended meaning. This article is glorious (even if Mr Graham has some flaws in his perceptions and understandings concerning religion- we all have our flaws) I'm going to read the essay over- it makes my soul ring- just as my knowledge of spiritual things does- I would even say this article is greatly spiritual, an honest confrontation of the pressures each one of us must somewhat choose on how we deal with. Its an opportunity for us to learn about ourselves, whats important and how we go on the journey. I took a different path, and have been frowned upon by many of my peers- lived in a caravan... worked in simple jobs that I enjoyed, traveled any opportunity. As soon as I heard at Design School that unexplained gaps in my cv could be detrimental to my career, I decided that a 'career' was not for me. I am a person not a robot, and sometimes my priority isn't keeping the world up to speed on the latest design but on my family and my friends, there are other things that need our attention more urgently times than the 'next trend'.. but living on this edge does take nerve, and faith. Your time can be just as valuable than the money you earn in it.

We must teach self preservation and confidence and pass to the new generations the good things that we learn that they might be happy and not feel it is right that they stay discontent in what we call 'work'

Re: How to Do What You Love

Amii — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:19:43 -0000

Hey, Great article! Thanks for your effort in putting this together and then placing it out there for people to read! :)

Re: How to Do What You Love

Stephanie — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:35:21 -0000

wow! At 16 years of age you are smarter than most 30 year olds!

Re: How to Do What You Love

Stephanie — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:45:50 -0000

This article is awesome! Thank you so much for writing this, I am going to share this with all of my friends and family. My boyfriend of 4 years just recently got a great job working as PR/Medi Director for a game developement studio. He loves video games and now he will be working with the top video game producers on a daily basis. I am very happy for him although he will be moving 3000 miles away to pursue this opportunity; anyhow, it suddenly dawned on me that he was the first and only person that I know that is actually doing what they love. And it made me question where I was heading in my life. My boyfriend never went to college, and now he is a top executive in a company, not to mention no prior work experience in this area, but what he has always had is a passion for great games; I can remember him staying up until 4am in the morning writing articles for free, for a popular game website; all of this just because he loved it so much (And these articles are what eventually lead to his employment with this game studio). Anyhow, this article has really made me feel a lot better about my current position. I think I am heading on the right path now.

Re: How to Do What You Love

David — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:57:28 -0000

Hello - This is a great article. I really related to it. I just finished a book called "Grooming Secrets For Men" and after reading your article I realize I must drop the "day job" and dive into even more of what I really like - like pushing my book more and doing more writing. Thanks!

Re: How to Do What You Love

philly blunt — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:05:05 -0000

way to long f-n A

Re: How to Do What You Love

Teresa — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:58:57 -0000

Hey would it be ok if I copied and pasted this article into my blog, and linked it to this page. I think I know a few people who could stand to read this.

Re: How to Do What You Love

Teresa — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:55:51 -0000

Wow I read the whole thing, AWESOME! Clear as a bell. I am about to go back to school, and I have never been so frustrated in my life. I had an easier time deciding to have kids. What the hell am I gonna do for the rest if my working life? Great article, time to do a little soul searching. Thanks

Re: How to Do What You Love

Fotis F — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:38:48 -0000

Hello and thank you for this succinct essay that helped me. I recently realised that 'my' choice of work twenty years ago was a big mistake. I was 12 or thereabouts and went for professional security.

I am Greek and I translate professionally from English. I suspect there would be Greek-speaking internet users who might benefit from a Greek translation. Would you like me to do it for you for free? It'd be a way to give back to you. You've got my email.

Re: How to Do What You Love

Josh — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:07:51 -0000

You did it, thanks for confirming what i've always believed. I've watched my father work hard to pay bills in a job he rarely enjoys, i promised myslef i'd do something i love and i LOVE GEOGRAPHY, everyone at school draws upon the fact of prestige and capital, 'how are ya gonna make money?'. You have verified the key message here in life... "not everyone can do work they love" that's all too true, however. One has to make a living, and it's hard to get paid for doing work you love".
I think if you're going to do a job for life you may as well love it, if you want to leave a mark like i do, then you need to be the be the best and to be the best you need to love what you do, i think i may have this quote put on a plaque :) ...
"The definition of work was now to make some original contribution to the world, and in the process not to starve". Thankyou for doing some original thinking and even more importantly for sharing it :D

Re: How to Do What You Love

Jason_B — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:38:21 -0000

This is a great article. I am 27 and think my main problem is not really having the desire to go all the way with a career path for fear that it might be the wrong one! Throughout college and for 8 years I was a ski instructor and I now have finally "moved on" to do bigger and better things in a city. What's hard for me is not looking back. I keep thinking there is something more for me to do on this earth than teaching rich kids how to have more fun when there are so many others in need!
I am at this juncture where I don't need a lot of money to fund my life, and I don't know what I'd study if I went to more school! Part of me wants to try and settle down and start somewhere to work my way up in a company, part of me wants to become a teacher, and all of me wants to stop bouncing around like a ping-pong ball from interest to interest! Maybe I'm easily discouraged, or am afraid to step out of my comfort zone but every time I start to do something I wanted in the past the reality is never as comforting as the dream.
Anyway, thanks for the post I will reference it in the future! Finding what you love to do seems like a never-ending quest :( :)

Re: How to Do What You Love

TINA — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:37:18 -0000

AAHAAAA.................! IT'S AMAZING

Re: How to Do What You Love

Laura — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:00:07 -0000

I couldn't agree more. Being a math teacher or having to do math sounds like some sadist's version of hell, whereas being an English teacher would be very enjoyable!

Re: How to Do What You Love

C. Brown — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:52:52 -0000

In several places you imply that bankers or corporate lawyers don't love their jobs. (Example, "How many corporate lawyers would do their current work if they had to do it for free, in their spare time, and take day jobs as waiters to support themselves.")

My father, a surgeon who loves his work ,once warned me that when I went to college I would have to take boring courses in history and literature. He was forgetting that to me the humanities make like worth living.

Jobs that sound like my idea of hell might breathe life into someone else's soul. Thank goodness we each have different skills and passions.

Re: How to Do What You Love

Emma — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:04:45 -0000

This is great. It's really helpful to me at 32! Right now, I'm unemployed but I have a knowing that I'll do something great, something I truly enjoy and to be honest I often do things I really enjoy and sometimes I get paid for them and sometimes I volunteer and I probably take too much time off and and procrastinate. I really value your piece about "always produce". From now on, I will do a drawing every day and I will exercise every day. Thank you. You've been a real inspiration.

Re: How to Do What You Love

William Burrell — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:54:59 -0000

Hi, great article. I am a 63 year old art professor, about to retire. What you have stated so precisely has finally begun to dawn on me. Ok, I'm a bit slow :-) thanks, bill b.

Re: How to Do What You Love

Tyler — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:17:38 -0000

excellent......i needed to read this. thank you

Re: How to Do What You Love

RebelSquirrel — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 09:10:34 -0000

Heck, I'm a 34-year-old college graduate and I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. Have resigned myself, more or less, to not ever growing up, making art in my basement in the summer, textile craft in my upstairs in the winter (because it's warmer) and thinking of going back to school to get training for a better-paying and more interesting class of day job.

Wish I'd had this to read in high school - and also wish I'd had something to read about how the heck to make a living. That right there has been way more work for way less reward than I was originally led to believe...

Re: How to Do What You Love

PhantomBPR — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 22:49:27 -0000

Hello there, I am a 16 year old high school student and I came across this essay after doing a google search on the phrase "i don't know what I want to do for a living", it was the first link that appeared.

You make very good points and you offer great advice, this is by far, a fresh answer for a question I've been asking for the last 5 years of my life, most of the time it's answered with something along the lines of "just worry about passing school".

Though I still have no idea on what sort of work I'd like to do, your essay has opened my mind to new perspectives and has alerted me to several mistakes people like myself make.

In short, very nice job, it was informative and enjoyable.

Re: How to Do What You Love

Kimi — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:40:36 -0000

Man, this is wonderfull article!.. I knew many of these things for quite some time, yet I never found someone who'd agree / share the same point of view with me...

I was continuously being discouraged from going for my dreams, by all the people I know, and I guess my fear grew bigger than my faith as the time went on, that I gave up at last. I was always told that I should not do what I like. But I should learn to like what I'm told to do instead. In the end, I got job I don't like, I see the time passing by, my days spent in vain and life so shallow, I didn't even knew why I was doing what I was doing.. and even if I found a reason, there'd be no joy in it.

And I'm really happy to read your words, for it is like a spark out of nowhere, lightning up the fire within my soul again. Thank you for helping me to bring my faith back!!!!!! Thank You so much! I shall 'member your words forever, so that noone will ever have a chance of breaking me :-)