Aptitude & Attitude
More Thoughts on Purpose (03)
Attitudes are every bit as important as aptitudes.
— Harvey Mackay
When I was in sixth form college, I was facing a predicament.
The UCAS deadline for applying to university was fast approaching, but I had no idea what I wanted to study. I did the best thing I could think of, and I consulted some of my teachers for advice.
I still think that this was a wise thing to do, but it didn’t exactly go well as you’ll see.
I ended up consulting my psychology teacher - possibly because she was the most approachable, and she was glad to help.
She showed me how if I added up all of the courses I was currently doing, then those skills would suit a career path of speech and language therapy. I thought that was logical enough, and so that’s what I did. I applied to study speech and language therapy at universities around the country and my problem was solved. Phew!
Except the problem was that I started to get accepted onto the courses! To my surprise, I discovered that there is such a lack of men in this field that I was a shoe-in. And once I realised that I was in, I was horrified.
I don’t actually want to do this, I thought. Now that all the barriers were gone, I could see that I could do it, I just didn’t want to.
I intuited that if I make myself study something I’m not passionate about, then I’ll be at best a mediocre and unhappy student. But when I’m passionate about my work, it’s another story - I am filled with a spirit of excellence.
So, I decided to change tack entirely and took a gap year instead. I knew I would have more success in humble work outside of university, than force myself through the pain of study, just for the sake of it. And it absolutely paid off for me! But that is a story for another time.
When I look back now, I see that I asked the wrong person for guidance. As lovely as she was, my psychology teacher displayed no passion or flair or interest in her subject at all. Psychology is a fascinating subject, and she had a talent for sucking the life out of it. I’m sorry if that sounds cruel, but it’s true. Sure, she was doing her job, and I didn’t expect her to know my deepest motivations, but as far as pursuing a life of meaningful work she showed me the opposite of the direction I want to go in. In the words of Rob Bell, she is now a “south star”.
The path she sent me on (one that considered my skills paramount) was quite logical; but if we don’t also take into account our attitude as well as our aptitude - then it becomes quite illogical. We set ourselves up for a work-life that is driven by effort alone, without the rocket-fuel that comes from our passion.
What is your rocket-fuel? What work do you enjoy spending yourself on?
Good luck and Godspeed
Street Food USA on Netflix
I realised why I love these shows so much now - because they are not about food, but about vocation. And this episode has some glorious examples of the journeys to find purpose that these chefs are on.
The passion of Mikey Musumeci
Love this young man's energy. In this short clip he shares some of his thoughts on what motivates him to keep going in the world of Jiu Jitsu and training up to 12 hours a day.