When you first meet someone, if it’s in a circumstance that dictates you’re supposed to get to know each other a bit, pretty much the same questions pop out each time. One of them is:
Hi. So; what do you do?
I am almost always underwhelmed by the answer to this question.
Oh. Really.
…I reply.
A Different Question.
So next time, instead of asking someone what they do. Ask this:
Hi. So; what are you for?
It’s a very similar question. So why not ask it?
Well, because it sounds bloody rude. And silly.
At least on planet Earth it does.
Planet Michael
On Planet Michael where I live, aged 50 and more single minded and forthright than ever, all people have a purpose. They all know what they are for. Or they should do.
So it’s a perfectly acceptable question.
Conversation are so much richer on this Planet because the reasons we do what we do are always heartfelt and up front. Everyone is driven.
No one does anything just for a pay check on Planet Michael. Or because it seems like the obvious thing to do. Or because it’s what they learned at college. Or because everyone else does it.
They do it because they are trying to change something.
For the better.
For everyone.
Back To Reality.
But back on planet earth we are once again surrounded by people that are going through the motions. Grumbling about unpaid overtime and feeling unappreciated. Waiting for something to change.
But here’s a secret.
There is a way to be on this other planet, the ‘Planet with a purpose’, if you want to, without actually leaving the planet you’re on now.
Whenever anyone asks you what you do, don’t answer that – tell them what you’re for instead. Answer the other question. Tell them what you are trying to make better, for everyone.
And if there isn’t anything.
Why the heck not?
