Aaron Swartz asks, What Should I Do With My Life? Po Bronson also asks this in his new book and a piece in this month's FastCompany, which I read at Herbivore yesterday, while eating vegan lasagne. Unlike lots of people I know, I'm not really struggling with this question at the moment. But I always find it interesting. The thing I found most striking in the Bronson article was the "PLACE Defines You" section. To quote:
And every culture is driven by a value system.... One of the most common mistakes is not recognizing how these value systems will shape you. People think that they can insulate themselves, that they're different. They're not. The relevant question in looking at a job is not What will I do? but Who will I become? What belief system will you adopt, and what will take on heightened importance in your life? Because once you're rooted in a particular system -- whether it's medicine, New York City, Microsoft, or a startup -- it's often agonizingly difficult to unravel yourself from its values, practices, and rewards.
Also, this part:
"Keeping your doors open" is a trap. It's an excuse to stay uninvolved. I call the people who have the hardest time closing doors Phi Beta Slackers. They hop between esteemed grad schools, fat corporate gigs, and prestigious fellowships, looking as if they have their act together but still feeling like observers, feeling as if they haven't come close to living up to their potential.
Sound like anyone you know?