A cartoonist, a magician, and a dolphin trainer walk into a bar…
Certain job titles seem to ooze fun. But I have a hard time imagining very many jobs that can’t be made fun with just a little bit of effort.
Kim and I are in California this week for a series of speaking engagements. We were able to spend Monday and Tuesday out and about in the San Francisco area before hunkering down and getting some work done in our hotel room today. We saw many examples of people who had fairly ordinary (and even mundane) jobs, but who interjected a level of fun into their work.
We bought an all-day pass for the cable cars, giving us many opportunities to witness quite a few different operators. First of all, as romantic as it may sound to be a cable car operator in San Francisco, it’s a pretty monotonous job. You’re collecting fares, handling the grips, traversing the same route back and forth, all day long. But one guy really stood out. He offered some interesting trivia, witty banter, and patiently paused at various interval so tourists could get the perfect picture of the Golden Gate Bridge or Lombard Street. His cheerfulness added to the experience for everyone aboard, and I’m sure it made the time fly by for him.
While strolling Fisherman’s Wharf, we spotted a bakery that specialized in sourdough bread. It also specialized in fun. Besides offering free smells, it also offered free views of the bread making. One guy was making some very unique loaves of bread. He sculpted turtles, alligators, and crabs out of the dough. A crowd of people had gathered to watch the culinary art show. It was hard to tell who was having more fun: the bystanders or the baker.
The main ingredient used by the baker and the cable car operator was fun.
So why bother? What difference does it make if you have fun while you work? Well, it makes for a more productive workplace (people aren’t so lethargic), keeps us healthier (75% off all our doctor visits are stress related), helps minimize employee turnover (they’re enjoying themselves too much to look for a new job on Monster.com), and can even add to the bottom line (wanna bet animal bread guy sells more bread at higher prices than regular loaf bread guy? I am reading a book about the great promoter, P.T. Barnum. One of the things he knew quite well was that the one thing people would spend their last nickel on, even during a period of time as tough as the Great Depression, was…fun.
Whether you spend your days in a wet suit in Orlando or in a dry suit on Wall Street, I challenge you to try and interject a little childlike fun into your workday. If incorporating some fun into your day job is something you already do, please share some of your techniques!
I saw it on a very cool blog post entitled “Young at Heart” on the blog, Hope.Faith.Love.
It challenges me.
Am I really living my life like that? I sure want to.
As I sat and listened to Jason speak today at one of his last of eight programs for January ‘07, I found myself hearing a sentence he shares regularly for the first time.
“Inside of everyone there is a little kid just dying to get out.”
My sisters would agree that when I was little I was a wild child, somewhat miscievious and full of energy, similar to the comic strip character Kim. Somedays as an adult I feel such the opposite. I feel so boring and dull. So full of Adultitis.
I was reminded of this wild child during the recent funeral services for my Boompa. Something I realized about my relationship with Boompa upon his passing is that he always saw me as that little wild child, even when I was an adult and struggling with Adultitis. He would tell Jason, “Watch out for this one!” When I would sit down next to him at a family gathering, he would predictably joke about me being full of energy and mischief, letting others around us know that I might stir up trouble. He still saw a side of me that has since faded more than I’d like to admit. Now that Boompa is gone, I realize that I need to make a special effort to be that spunky bundle of joy he saw.
Someone who doesn’t hesitate to sing my heart out in front of other people.
Someone who laughs loudly.
Someone who befriends a stranger with a smile.
Someone who dances wildly at a favorite song.
Someone who does cartwheels on the beach.
I would have to say that I’m in my dream job. I write this blog post from a hotel room in Pleasanton, California (near the San Francisco/Oakland area.) I had a speaking gig this morning where I was able to encourage a gym full of people to make their lives a little bit more fun an fulfilling. We sold prints and comic books featuring funny pictures I’ve drawn over the past six years. Kim and I will be able to spend the next few days in San Francisco, while collecting some footage for our new project, Escape Plan TV. I draw, write, talk (and travel) for a living. Certainly not a typical job by any standard. There’s a good chance it may not even be that appealing job to many people. But if I were asked what my ideal dream job would be, I’d have a hard time topping this one.
Sometimes people remark about how lucky I am to be in this position. Blessed, yes. But lucky? No.
I remember years ago when I worked for a car dealership while I was in high school and college. It was a pretty good job as far as flexibility goes. But I hated it. I hated sweating my butt off during the summer when I had to vacuum hot cars. I hated cleaning the yellow-filmed interior car windows of heavy smokers. I hated breathing car exhaust because the lazy mechanics wouldn’t always put the hoses on the tailpipes. I hated brushing the snow off the cars in the winter. I hated coming home dirty and smelling like oil. I hated having wet socks from washing cars all day. And I hated one of the shop foremen — he was a real jerk.
I remember working there one day when I made a promise to myself. I decided that no matter what, I was not going to get stuck in a dead-end job I couldn’t stand. I was going to make something of myself. I was going to finish school, chase my dreams, and never give up, no matter how hard it would be.
Well, so far, it’s been a LOT harder than I though it would be. Kim and I have made a lot of sacrifices (a kindergarten teaching salary does not go as far as one might think.) We’ve gone through a lot of air conditionless summers. (Thank God heat is included in our rent!) And I’ll never forget the slew of disappointing craft shows where we unsuccessfully hawked some of the very same prints that now sell like hotcakes at my speaking gigs. (One particular show in Milwaukee cost us over $250 in fees and expenses, and we sold a grand total of three greeting cards in two days. That was good for a whopping $7.92 in revenue. Take that, Trump!)
So what is the point of this long-winded tale? The point is that finding your dream job is more about making choices and being persistent than it is about waiting for the perfect opportunity to fall in your lap. It’s about evaluating your talents, dreaming big, following your heart, and trusting God to guide your path.
Are you in your dream job? If so, I applaud you. But you are in the minority. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey released on January 25th, more than four out of five U.S. workers are still searching for their dream job. One way to begin the search is to look back at your own childhood. I find the comments by one of the CareerBuilder.com representatives interesting:
"What defines a dream job is surprisingly reminiscent of childhood wishes for many workers," said Richard Castellini, vice president of consumer marketing at CareerBuilder.com. "Workers said they want to enjoy their work experience, apply their talents and feel like they’re making an impact. Having fun at work was the most important attribute of a dream job for 39 percent of workers, which heavily outweighed the 12 percent who said salary was most important."
Salary was one of the least important factors in determining a dream job. Money ranked third (12 percent) compared to having fun at work (39 percent) which topped the list, followed by making a difference in society (17 percent).
I have been accused of being an idealist, but I can’t help but wonder what our country would look like if EVERYONE was in their dream job. Heck, I’d like to see the effects of even three out of five folks working at their dream job! Are you one of those people who think that it would be impossible for everyone to be in their dream job? Wouldn’t everyone want to be Donald Trump, or Oprah, or a movie star? I’m not so sure about that. (Keep in mind that across all professions in the survey, police and firefighters reported the highest incidence of feeling they have their dream jobs (35 percent), followed closely by teachers (32 percent.) Everyone I know has such a unique mix of skills and interests and passions that I like to think that somehow, everyone would fill a specific need and there’d be plenty of dream jobs to go around.
So what about you? Are you in your dream job? If not, what would it be?
In this episode, brought to you from studio 203 in Madison, Wisconsin, we interview Eliz Greene, an amazingly passionate woman known as the Red Dress Lady. We also talk about a Chinese laugh-a-thon, how to make your life a great adventure, and share some news about an exciting new project we’re working on.
Listen now by clicking play below.
Show Notes:
• We have a new theme song! Listen to more of Ethan’s music at www.EthanElkind.com. • To Relieve Stress, 600 Chinese Organize Laugh-a-thon (story)
• Life as a Great Adventure (article)
• Eliz Greene is the Red Dress Lady. Check out her website, read her blog, buy her book, Passion for Life!
• Learn more about the Escape Plan.
• Learn more about booking Jason to speak at your group’s next get together.
Win Stuff: Win a copy of Eliz Greene’s book, Passion for Life, by letting us know, “What were YOU most passionate about as a kid?” E-mail us or leave us a message at 608-554-0803.
For those of you who follow the Kim & Jason comic strip, I’m sure you are familiar with Boompa, Kim’s grandpa. Jason describes Boompa like this:
Boompa is a wise and witty senior who provides answers to some of life’s most challenging questions. A retired carpenter with a heart of gold, Kim’s grandfather is always giving the kids gifts and explaining how things work. He is old enough to know the wisdom that children possess, and always takes time to honor their questions, stories, and ramblings. Despite a lifetime of experiences, Boompa has not yet outgrown his childhood.
Some of you know that my family really does call my paternal grandpa Boompa. Between me and Jason, three out of our four grandpas were carpenters and his dad is a carpenter. Jason created the character Boompa to be a combination of all of the strong, playful and wise men in our lives. For the last six years that Jason has been creating the strip, my Boompa has been the only living grandfather on both of our sides. Some of you may remember the post I share this past summer with a picture of me and Boompa together.
A week ago today my Boompa passed away at the age of 92.
Just like Jason’s description of the character, my Boompa was a big kid, sharing his childlike spirit and faith with everyone he met. He sure got a kick out of reading Jason’s strips.
My emotions have been on a roller coaster this week. I am so happy that he is finally in a better place. Just like the character, my Boompa was a widower living alone. Him and my grandma Rosie were married for 65 years when she passed away a year and a half ago. He missed her so much. As Jason shared in the eulogy on Wednesday, in a way this is kind of like a good love story- in the end the guy gets the girl.
So, I feel happy for him, but I have been so sad this week. I’m selfish, I guess. I miss his smile.
On Monday night I read through the hundreds of strips Jason had created featuring Boompa and it was amazing how it brought back so many wonderful memories, even though Jason wasn’t even there in my childhood to have those experiences with him. I think the character Boompa serves as an example of that “grandpa” in all of our lives.
Boompa always had a spark in his eye. His life inspires and challenges me to also live with that spark!
We just got a new cd recently by one of our favorite bands, Switchfoot. On the way home from the funeral one of the songs just connected with the moment. This is a great song for anyone who has lost someone. You can actually download the program Rhapsody very quickly and hear the whole song here.
Yesterdays
Flowers cut and brought inside
Black cars in a single line
Your family in suits and ties
And you’re free
The ache I feel inside
Is where the life has left your eyes
I’m alone for our last goodbye
But you’re free
I remember you like yesterday, yesterday
I still can’t believe you’re gone, oh…
I remember you like yesterday, yesterday
And until I’m with you, I’ll carry on
Adrift on your ocean floor
I feel weightless, numb, and sore
A part of you in me is torn
And you’re free
I woke from a dream last night
I dreamt that you were by my side
Reminding me I still had life
In me
I’ll carry on
Every lament is a love song
Yesterday, yesterday
I still can’t believe you’re gone
So long my friend, so long
My passion lies in helping people go seek their hidden childlike spirit. I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the world would be unimaginably better if everyone was just 10% more childlike (not sure how one would even measure that, so don’t ask.) I do fear, however, that my plea comes across as an idealistic, free spirit, give peace a chance echo from the sixties. I assure you, I may be a dreamer, but I am no hippie. (I worshiped Alex P. Keaton, for crying out loud.)
However, when we let our childlike spirit slowly slip away, life does get worse. We become more stressed, anxious, and cynical. Life takes on an air of monotony. When Adultitis sets in, life is like watching the Rose Bowl parade on a black and white television: all the floats and flowers are there, but we can’t help but wonder, "Isn’t there more to it than this?"
My aim is to spread this message far and wide. I hope that I can convey it as equally relevant to the stay at home mom of three and the high level executive in the three-piece suit. A world without Adultitis is in the best interest of everyone, from hippies to housewives, from kids to capitalists.
Life is meant to be lived in full color. Is yours?
Every month, one Club K&J subscriber is drawn as the winner in the Supremely Wonderful & Exciting Loot Lottery. This month’s lucky recipient is Amy Miller! She wins some Bath Ice Cream! Congrats, Amy!
Join Club K&J for your chance to win this month’s prize Loot Lottery!
I must be in the minority, but I never was a big fan of tag. Or rather, I was never a big fan of being "it." Being "it" was alright as long as you weren’t "it" for too long. Once you exceeded a certain amount of time as "it," you very quickly approach a harrowing state of shame and humiliation. Maybe that was just me.
Well, I’ve been tagged. Tagged by a fellow blogger, Mr. Make it Great, Phil Gerbyshak. Now that I’m "it," this particular game requires me to share 5 things that other people don’t know about me. I like this game a little better, because I have some control over how long I have to be "it." But in the spirit of tag, I shall now share a few things that put me in danger of entering a harrowing state of shame and humiliation:
1) When I was an adolescent, I had a picture of Michael J. Fox taped to my ceiling. Over my bed. Why? I thought he was cool. (And I didn’t realize just how gay that seemed. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…) But before you think this is a post about me coming out of the closet, let me also say that I had about 15 pictures of Elle McPherson on display (torn from the highly coveted Sport Illustrated Swimsuit issues.)
2) I had six wisdom teeth. Now I have just four, the same amount normal human beings have. The dentist told me that once in a while, it’s possible for people to get an extra two or four wisdom teeth. He didn’t mention anything about alien abductions or anal probes, but he didn’t sound very convincing, either.
3) When I was about three or four, my parents used to dress me up in a brown plaid robe and carry me around the house while singing "Scandinavian Hotshot." I think it’s a real song, but I’ve never heard it and I don’t know what it means. From time to time, they also intermixed "Gonna Fly Now," the theme song from Rocky.
Now for some cool ones…
4) I was named the co-captain of my varsity baseball team. I played second base (like my hero, Ryne Sandberg) and one time I caught a fly ball with my bare hand. It was a high pop hit to short right field. I scrambled out to get it and got a little disoriented. (Those things can be tricky.) I finally located the ball and at the last minute, reflexively thrust out my non-gloved hand. The ball just stuck — the third out. It was the weirdest thing. Of course, I trotted back into the dugout acting like I had planned it all along and it was no big deal.
5) Finally, I once saw Michael Jordan drop 55 points on the Knicks. I went with some friends to a game while we were in college. The seats weren’t the greatest, but when he hit 50 points, the crowd went crazy. It was awesome.
While strolling Fisherman’s Wharf, we spotted a bakery that specialized in sourdough bread. It also specialized in fun. Besides offering free smells, it also offered free views of the bread making. One guy was making some very unique loaves of bread. He sculpted turtles, alligators, and crabs out of the dough. A crowd of people had gathered to watch the culinary art show. It was hard to tell who was having more fun: the bystanders or the baker.
I remember years ago when I worked for a car dealership while I was in high school and college. It was a pretty good job as far as flexibility goes. But I hated it. I hated sweating my butt off during the summer when I had to vacuum hot cars. I hated cleaning the yellow-filmed interior car windows of heavy smokers. I hated breathing car exhaust because the lazy mechanics wouldn’t always put the hoses on the tailpipes. I hated brushing the snow off the cars in the winter. I hated coming home dirty and smelling like oil. I hated having wet socks from washing cars all day. And I hated one of the shop foremen — he was a real jerk.
In this episode, brought to you from studio 203 in Madison, Wisconsin, we interview Eliz Greene, an amazingly passionate woman known as the Red Dress Lady. We also talk about a Chinese laugh-a-thon, how to make your life a great adventure, and share some news about an exciting new project we’re working on.
Just like Jason’s description of the character, my Boompa was a big kid, sharing his childlike spirit and faith with everyone he met. He sure got a kick out of reading Jason’s strips.
However, when we let our childlike spirit slowly slip away, life does get worse. We become more stressed, anxious, and cynical. Life takes on an air of monotony. When 
1) When I was an adolescent, I had a picture of Michael J. Fox taped to my ceiling. Over my bed. Why? I thought he was cool. (And I didn’t realize just how gay that seemed. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…) But before you think this is a post about me coming out of the closet, let me also say that I had about 15 pictures of Elle McPherson on display (torn from the highly coveted Sport Illustrated Swimsuit issues.)
It was a high pop hit to short right field. I scrambled out to get it and got a little disoriented. (Those things can be tricky.) I finally located the ball and at the last minute, reflexively thrust out my non-gloved hand. The ball just stuck — the third out. It was the weirdest thing. Of course, I trotted back into the dugout acting like I had planned it all along and it was no big deal.
