Over the years, I’ve met two types of people:
- Ones who’re way too happy to work (only a few of them)
- Ones who’re way too depressed to work (quite a few of them, actually)
I don’t know the secret of these folks who’re way too happy to work — they have a way of getting things done through others. I don’t know how they do it, but people are always amazed at their ability to get so much work done when they don’t even move a muscle. Could it be that they’re better leaders than the rest? Nope. They aren’t because real leaders are hands-on and almost always are in the middle of all the action. I find these folks passive and ignorant of the ground realities of life, work, and everything in between.
On the other end of the spectrum are the people who’re too depressed do end up working. They’re the whiners, complainers, and the ones who’re dead (from the inside) and get things done like a robot. They’re the order takers of the business world. Just tell them what needs to happen, and they will do it without any complaints — all the bitching and moaning happens behind your back.
Honestly, both these extremes are sickening, but it’s hard not to ignore these personalities as they’re all around us. That said, there’s a third type with a different take on life. They know life’s challenging and depressing, but instead of giving up, they see work as a great alternative to distract themselves from the hassles of life. And in the process, they find meaning in the work that they do.
Isn’t that something? I love how Austin Kleon has packaged this funny little philosophy as Goldilock’s Theory of Creativity. It’s a point of view that every creative (we’re all creative) should consider getting a better perspective on how and why we work. So, essentially, we can look at our lives from the following lenses:
- Too happy to work
- Too depressed to work
- Too depressed and can’t help to see work as a great alternative
And here’s the most beautiful thing — you can choose between being too depressed to work and too depressed to work and seeing work as a great distraction. Because once you do, magical things being to happen.