The perfect career doesn’t exist

Sometimes I catch myself daydreaming about the perfect career. I imagine a time in my life when I’m only doing exactly what I want to be doing; a time when projects filter in for just the right rates at precisely the ideal times. I daydream about a time when I’m in-demand, but not too in-demand. 

This daydream is a farce—and not a helpful one. 

Everyone in the history of careers has done things they didn’t want to do. They’ve worked with people they didn’t get along with, and they put up with bullshit they didn’t feel like they should have to. Even those with prodigious beginnings eventually came upon slow periods, underperformance, and harsh critiques. 

This daydream is harmful because it keeps us from doing the work that makes our work more enjoyable. We imagine a time in the future when things magically get better, but we don’t take it upon ourselves to ask the hard questions and make the tough choices needed to improve our working lives. The perfect career daydream keeps us from achieving presence. Instead of facing challenges and engaging with the work in the present moment, we flinch from difficulty, and numb ourselves from pain. 

Acceptance is a super power here. When we accept that the perfect career will never magically appear, the work we need to do today to make it a little better becomes clear.