July 02, 2014

The Obnoxious Belief In The Irrepressible Spirit


I'm getting real tired of reading opinion pieces and watching videos of rich, famous people telling us to do what we love. 

I'm sick of their smug assumption that their one-in-a-million success was the result of their irrepressible spirit. And that if we all just had the character and determination to follow our passions like they did, we'd be fabulous, too.

Most success is contingent. Either you're born into the lucky sperm club, or you get a break somewhere or, as in my case, one chance encounter changes your life.

But this bullshit that there is a place for all of us in the pantheon of success if we just believe in ourselves and don't compromise and pursue our passion gives me a real pain in the ass.

It's easy to say that in hindsight, when you're sitting on millions, and everybody knows your name.

It's a little different when you're a checker at Walmart and you have kids to support. Yeah, just quit that stupid job and pursue your singing career. You want to be a football player? Sure, no problem. Just believe in yourself.

You know what I'd like. I'd like to hear from all the talented, hard-working people who followed their passions and failed. I want to hear from the directors who are changing tires. And the writers who are cutting hair. Let's find out how they feel.

For every self-satisfied loudmouth selling this bullshit there are a thousand people just as capable and just as dedicated who failed.

As far as I'm concerned, all this amounts to is self-satisfied big shots patting themselves on the back and lecturing us on our lack of initiative.

You want to devote your life to doing what you love? Me too. Unfortunately I haven't found anybody willing to pay me to drink beer and do crosswords.

21 comments:

tyretom said...

Thank you Bob for writing down what I've been thinking for years whenever some big important nitwits talk about 'never giving up' and 'making your own opportunities'. What a load of bull.

Dan Bond said...

Spot on, as usual. And you're right - documenting peoples failures would be really interesting, and probably full of useful learning points. Far more than the words of a few people who got lucky. Someone turn this into a podcast.

Peter W said...

Maybe those who are fortunate enough to make millions on doing what they love, should dedicate some of those funds into giving others a chance to do what they love.

Ewan McCowen said...

Yup. Seems most of us are faced with a choice: Be satisfied with where you are and what you've achieved OR Risk your quality of life, your personal relationships and your sanity on a play that nine hundred and nighty nine times out of a thousand will see you go down in a blaze of mediocrity!

Stephen Lahey said...

I agree - and the last paragraph made me laugh, loudly. Thanks for that. :)

Elly Miller said...

Bob, I've been reading your posts for a long time, enjoying connecting with someone who sees the ad world the same way. This post got me on my keyboard. Maybe because I just posted an article on LinkedIn yesterday about a guy who left his misery job in banking to pursue a singing career…. concidence? He isn't rolling in green yet but he says he does wake up each day feeling a lot better about his life. I think you've equated success with making millions which is only one way to define ' making it'. If you're spending your time doing something you love, you've already won, whether you are headed for the top 2% or not. In the end,
the person having the most fun wins….

Harrovian said...

Totally agree. But I have to say the blame doesn't stop with successful, rich individuals. It seems to me that Hollywood has peddled the same myth for decades. The rhetoric of 'follow your dreams and if you work hard and stick at it, success will be yours' has fuelled countless plots. I hate the patronising implication that those of us who haven't done so are inferior, indolent beings. And anyway, by definition not everyone can be a success.

Ricky said...

My favorite platitude is, "It would be better to be broke and homeless but doing what you love than to have a steady income from a job you're not really passionate about," from people who have never been homeless at all and who have never been TRULY broke (no money AND no support system to fall back on).


Because that's what I always see homeless people doing: following their passions. They're out there making ice sculptures and playing the banjolele and writing e-books about disc golf. Because merely staying alive when you're homeless is not a 24/7 job that takes up 100% of your mental resources in itself, right?


Personal development bloggers THRIVE on this brand of horse shit. And some of 'em get pretty rich hawking it.

Jason Fox said...

Indeed. I know countless people who work hard and are arguably more talented than the most successful among us. Life isn't fair. So learn what matters and get on with it.

CaliforniaGirl500 said...

Wish I'd said that.

Jonathan Rodgers said...

I'll can't pay you, Bob, but I'll happily be your partner.

uglymugagency said...

I've learned to reinvent myself more times than Edison tried to make a light-bulb. But it's a giant pain in the ass every time.


All those entrepreneur podcasts, mentors, "though leaders", etc. (I'll even go so far as to lump social media gurus in this lot.) are snake oil salesmen who thrive on the desperation of ruined economies.

Miguel said...

Might be the best advice you can give ANYONE

Stephen Eichenbaum said...

This is part of the whole American Dream load of shit that billionaires feed the poor class, so they'll vote against their own self interests.People still stupid enough to believe in that goddam fairy tale are as much to blame as the lucky, cheating bastards who sell it.The other thing i'm sick of hearing is how folks who are rich must be smart.
The two could not be more unrelated.

timorr said...

It is the genius of the oppressor to brainwash the oppressed into believing they deserve their lot. It was the brilliant rich who gave their money to Madoff. It is the insensitive rich who believe they work harder than those who dig ditches by hand for peanuts. The rich deny luck because otherwise they'd be exposed as neither smart nor industrious. It's easy to learn to love that which brings you riches.

Bob said...

I paint because I can't play guitar, but I sing worse, so I'm changing my mind about success.

Kate Richardson said...

Bob what was your chance encounter?

Julian Hanford said...

Bob, I understand where you are coming from, but it is not that simple, and I can tell you that I did just this, a few years ago. I went from being a bankrupt entreprenuer to a successful artist/photographer. It was, and is still fucking hard work, but the spring in my step has given me more reward than I ever previously could have imagined, even when I was earning good money in advertising. And I can honestly attest that the single thing that made this work for me was utter dogged determination and belief that I could do it.

Kate Richardson said...

Bob what was your chance encounter?

Chip said...

The only thing worse than the people selling this bullshit belief are the sycophants buying it. And buy it they do. Well said, Bob.

ChrisO said...

Bob,

This reminds me of a Bukowski poem...

Air And Light And Time And Space

"–you know, I’ve either had a family, a job, something has always been in the way but now I’ve sold my house, I’ve found this place, a large studio, you should see the space and the light. For the first time in my life I’m going to have a place and the time to create."

No baby,
if you’re going to create you’re going to create whether you work 16 hours a day in a coal mine or you’re going to create in a small room with 3 children while you’re on welfare,

You’re going to create with part of your mind and your body blown away, you’re going to create blind crippled demented, you’re going to create with a cat crawling up your back while the whole city trembles in earthquake, bombardment, flood and fire.

Baby, air and light and time and space have nothing to do with it and don’t create anything except maybe a longer life to find new excuses for.

© Charles Bukowski, Black Sparrow Press