Comments regarding the “My Generation” page.
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Sean Aiken » view all
I agree 100% with what you’re doing. I think that it’s awesome that you have to courage to do this.
I find that over the years of working I’ve let myself forget about what I am passionate about and work only to pay the bills.
Only 25 years old, I have 3 college certificates all unrelated. I am proud of this accomplishment but still feel unfulfilled in my career path/direction.
Sean, we are certainly proud of you for your efforts with the poverty in Canada. Maybe when you are finished there you should visit Jamaica!!!!!!!! There is always a bed for you.
Aunty Liz
Three certificates Sandra? Very impressive! I think it is great you realize that you have let yourself forget about what you are passionate about, because you know what that means… you can now change it!
All the best!
-Sean
Aunty Liz – I think I am definitely due for a visit!
Hey I just read your article in the gazette and I think it’s such a good plan. I have the same idea. I feel like the world is at my fingertips and I can do anything I want but I don’t know what to do first and choosing one path is scary. Especially since we don’t have the experience to know what we do and don’t like. I was thinking of going back to school to get a real degree partly for my own interest, maybe to get a better job, but mostly to kill time so I can figure it out. BUt all these people I know with there degrees still don’t know. I actually believe it’s a better idea to tryout different jobs before getting your degree.I know what interests me but I don’t know how, exactly I can apply it into a career.I never liked school but I’m wondering if it’s that important and if I should go back and give it another shot. I’m 22 years old and I have a certificate in fashion design but I realized even before I finished that designing these days as a living was not what I imagined it to be. I have done two internships for the same reason as you, just to get the taste of it. I am thinking now I belong more in the marketing end but I don’t know! since I have no experience in it. Very cool what you’re doing, and good luck! I live in montreal and if you’re ever in the area maybe we could meet up.
Hey Allison,
Totally know what you mean. I want to do everything, and that leaves me doing nothing. Kinda funny. So with One Week Job I am just pretty much putting myself out there and seeing what happens, and I guess kinda doing everything at the same time. Who knows, maybe at the end of it, it will become harder to decide. I just want to make the right choice!
Though, I think the first step is to just make the promise to yourself that whatever you end up doing, making sure that you are happy doing it. And if that ever changes, then change what you are doing. Check out this previous entry that I wrote:
http://www.oneweekjob.com/2007/02/14/make-a-promise-today/
Thanks for the comment. When I am coming to Montreal, send me an email and we can for sure meet up!
-Sean
Thanks for your honesty. I’m the parent of a son who did modeling for about 7 years. reached Gucci/Versace etc. the runways of Milan, traveled the world, ran with the rich and famous some infamous etc. and is now on the coasting side… catching modeling gigs here and there; living off the big bucks he made as he tries to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up.
Here is the kicker – I’m a career specialist working with professional, technical, executive and managerial folks who are in their 40’s 50’s and 60’s and are trying to figure out the same thing “what do I want to do that I’m passionate about.”
So how do I square the adage “The shoemaker’s son has no shoes.” I don’t coach or cajole, it is his life I’m here when he needs me.
I’ve termed my customer’s quest (and yours) as searching for an “Occupassion.” In my seminars and one-on-one coaching sessions my whole goal is to get people into their Occupassion. some times they need bridge employment until they figure out what they ultimately want to do.
Personally I go to an office everyday for thelast 15 years but I’ve yet to feel that it is work. Each day I have a sense of joy in helping others. Too often I hear people using that dirty four letter word that ends in a K and is generally used in a negative way WORK… I go to fun every day and my boss loves it as I’m a realtively low maintenance employee and have hired low maintenance employees who also love what they do.
I’m sure that with your “One week job” approach you’ll gain a great view of work and passion. You will be a success and the variety of work you’ll experience will benefit you the rest of your life. I did the same thing after being discharged from the Marine Corps with 14 full and part-time jobs in two years and a practise marriage (no kids from the marriage).
Don’t look at any job as being forever move when you get the urge, never stop looking at your options – you’ll be hybridized and be ready for whatever the world has in store for you. Keep faith in your Creator for He provides everything we need.
Don’t get sucked into materialism; it can sour your life! OK housing, cars etc. allow them to serve you… you not serving the bills.
Trust in your process – it will payoff!
Steve Gallison
Hi Sean, I admire your courage. Every time you go for a new job you will find that it gets easier. Why? Because you live for a one week experience and that is the key to your success. Not many people can do this. Therefore, I admire you also for your endurance. You are just 6 weeks on jobs now and your idea is still working for you.
You have friends and a full life to live and you are happy as your life unfolds right now. That is a good sign for your future. Take care and stay safe.
Regards,
Heather
i think it is great what you are doing man. i am in the same boat you are. my girlfriend and i just graduated with our undergrads and are not sure what we want to do, so we decided to travel and see the world. i know it is tough to leave the comfort zone, but i also know that it is the only way you can grow and accomplish your life goals. keep up the good work.
Hey Sean,
That’s so awsome that you found a way to bounce around, learning new trades and even donating cash to end child poverty (although I’m not sure how you afford groceries). My friend at work told me about your site because we we’re trying to figure out how to organize people and companies to let people do job rotations so that we arn’t stuck in the same job, then you wouldn’t need to work for 30 years to get a pention you could work for like 5 and get a percentage.-because even the best jobs get boring after awhile. Change is refreshing- Rock on!
A great motion for a great cause. I can think of alot of people, including myself who are in the same boat and I think its really important for people to realize that there are more options than the immediate ones surrounding us. Welcome to Edmonton, good luck and keep up the great exposure!
Hey Sean,
I have just spent the past couple of hours going over the various websites you have after seeing an article about you in the Ottawa Citizen. I must say that you have challenged me and inspired me. I deeply respect you for what you are doing as it seems that no one really understands how I feel about working and my career. You have shown me that there are people out there who truly understand my opinions, opinions that are so close to yours. Thank You!!! I hope that you can continue to inspire and challenge. Good Luck wherever life may lead you.
Alyssa
Keep it Real!
Hi Sean!
I think what you are doing is GREAT! I would like to comment on your interpretation of my generation (and those beyond generation x). If you want to learn from us, the real lesson is DO NOT think about a job or a career as something permanent. Nothing is permanent. We are constantly evolving and changing, developing new interests and passions, and growing in ways that we could never imagine. That’s life. We don’t have to get trapped in a career that does not fulfill us, in roles or in a life that no longer makes sense. I work in Ottawa, very much a government town, where most people never think about whether they enjoy what they are doing, whether it even resonates with their desires or goals. The driving force is the pension after thirty soul-sucking years and ten mini vans, 2.5 kids and two affairs later. There is truly no more dis-spiriting a site than to drive downtown at rush hour in Ottawa, observing the men-in-suits and women-in-pumps waiting for the bus.
I think it comes down to the fact that it is important for some people (and perhaps you are one of them), to truly enjoy what they do and to find meaning in the nine-to-five ot the twenty-four-seven. I applaud you and sincerely hope that you never lose that spirit. I am in my forties and am in my third career, currently completing my PhD so that I can be a prof., something that I never could have imagined when I was in my twenties. And that’s the point, right? To let yourself grow without putting too many self-imposed restrictions on what you can and cannot do. Good luck!
I admire your honesty. I feel the same way which is why I can’t put down my goals and give up my hopes in pursuing what I love. I fear the truth in life being too short. I fear being suck and uninspired. I fear saing ” I hate my life and my job.” Maybe I have a Disease it is called Dreaming.
Sean & Ian, thank you so much for meeting me for dinner tonight. I had a great time sharing stories of life and adventure over a great meal in such a great spot with both you guys and John! Good times and good memories for sure. =)
I look forward to following you on your respective adventures and can’t wait until we all are sitting on the stage with Oprah reminding the rest of the world that living a happy and fulfilling life truly is all about choices and making the right ones that fulfill your heart, mind and soul completely.
And here’s that quote for ya! “If you believe that your life will have limits, then it will… defintely, no doubt and without question. But believe in a life of UNlimitedness, and you will find that you truly live in a Universe of complete abundance with more than enough to go around and certainly more than enough to share.”
without limits,
Roldan
Atlanta, GA
PS. See you again sometime soon, I’m sure of it!
Well this is gonna be kind of an angry comment. I will not curse or bad mouth, I will just vent. What good do you actually think you are doing for Our Generation? We are supposed to be a Generation of explorers right? So what good is it if you take that adventure for us? What skills do you show working a job for a week? This adventure, search what ever you want to call it is beneficial only to the growth of yourself and your image. Like it has been said, you have found an occupation and that occupation is called “Sean” Shouldn’t exploration be about perseverance as well as about gaining knowledge? You show no long term committment except that towards your own celebrity. You seem to be sending a message that it is is more detrimental then benificial. It’s ok to jump from job to job. In all honesty during this year of exploration you are going through, you have been able to distance yourself from the real world. If an ordinary individual were to go from job to job ever week, eventually they wouldn’t be hired, they’d have a nervious breakdown being stressed out over how they are going to eat and pay the rent, but hey why are you worried about rent you’re a couch surfer. I’ll admit what you are doing is commendable and I’m sure you will learn alot through the year, but it will because of the year, not your hopping from one awesome job to another, jobs by the way you most likely wouldn’t get in any ordinary situation. This may seem like a personal attack and most of it isn’t and for some reason I don’t think my words will hurt you because after all it’s all about the journey right? Hope Manhattan treats you well and safe travels.
P.S. i hope you have time to respond i think it would lead to some interesting conversation
hi!i’m a crazy girl who live in this Peter Pan generation…
i’m looking for a boy who would travel with me all around the worl in searching of ours passion
are you?
write me as soon as
arianna
Jay, I disagree with your comment. I have benefited by watching Sean’s videos because they have given me a glimpse into jobs that I would never have normally seen. I have also learned a bit about myself by which segments I am attracted to and which ones I fast forward. Also, there’s money going to charity. What more could you ask for?
Hi Sean,
I can’t tell you how much I’m inspired by your project and your message. Your statement in “My Generation” sounds like a manifesto I would sign a hundred times over! Really, wake up, people, realize that you were not supposed to waste your lives working in boring, soul-destroying jobs where you leave your spirit at home along with your values, passions, and creativity! There is more to life than that, and it is your responsibility to apply all the gifts you were given – not just the ones your company wants you to use for its own purposes.
This is a subject that really gets me going, because I’ve spent most of my life looking for that amazing feeling of connection in the work that I do – the feeling where work feels like play, where you can’t wait to get up in the morning and get back to work, where you’d do what you’re doing even if you weren’t getting paid for it. I, too, tried out many different occupations and did a lot of soul-searching to discover who I was and what I had to contribute. Now, at 38, I finally have it, and I’ve made it my mission to help others find their true path.
One of my favorite authors, Marsha Sinetar, who wrote the bestselling career exploration classic “Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow,” says: “Work needs to fit my personality just as shoes need to fit my feet, otherwise I’m destined for discomfort.” And also: “Our right work is just as important to personality health and growth as the right nutrients are for our bodies.”
I’d take it even further. In my view, our right work is an essential part of our spiritual growth. To search is more natural than not to search. It really is a part of being human. So to all of you who are still searching – don’t give up! It’s all part of the journey, pieces of the puzzle. One day they’ll come together, and then you’ll know that all was not in vain!
I’ve commented on your project on my blog for my readers, and I look forward to continuing to track your adventure. I really feel there is a quiet (or maybe not so quiet) revolution taking place in our society – a revolution in how we as a culture view work and our relationship with it. Your generation is definitely leading the way, and people who are older are beginning to wake up as well. As a career exploration and transition coach, I’m going to do all I can to help that along!
Izabella Tabarovsky
http://www.projectcreativevision.com
Thanks for the comments!
Jay – you are right, it is my adventure. We must all find our own way, though if following a long with my journey can help others in any way, that’s awesome. If not, well, keep exploring.
Cheers,
-Sean
I admire your honesty. I feel the same way which is why I can’t put down my goals and give up my hopes in pursuing what I love. I fear the truth in life being too short. I fear being suck and uninspired. I fear saing †I hate my life and my job.†Maybe I have a Disease it is called Dreaming.
really inspiring message. its not even a message, its more of a lifestyle. thanks for giving me the courage to step out of my comfort zone.
-cheers
What you’re doing is a real inspiration to me, since I haven’t left university yet, and I’m getting “choosing a job” stuff from the placement office. What you have shown me has allowed me to see much wider and further than what I originally have perceived, and much more than what people have told me, or offered me.
Thank you.
Sean, You have friends and a full life to live and you are happy as your life unfolds right now. That is a good sign for your future. Take care and stay safe.
Cheers,
Andrew Chernous
Hi Greetings from China. Born in the 80s, I’m about to finish my masters’ degree. I still don’t know what i want to do with my life. I feel there are infinate possibilities and don’t want to settle right now. But as many people mentioned, by not making a decision, I end up realizing none of the possibilities. And i never feel really passionate about something, you know. There’s not a moment in my 22-year-life when i feel: that’s something i MUST have! I guess most of the time it’s all talk and no action. I just sit there,complaining about how unfulfilling my life is, and not doing a thing. That’s why i admire your courage. Few people have the gut to do what you are doing.
Wish you best luck with all your passion-seeking endeavors, and share the passion~~
Sky
from China
Hi, I’m in a similar place in life where I’m wondering about what I should do next. I have just graduated from university and I feel such relief! Just being in school has suffocated so much of my social life, yet I love the field I’ve chosen to study(biology) and for the most part I honestly can’t imagine a better thing to do right now than to be a biologist. However, there are many fields within biology and I have all these fears also about how I am doing about to start a masters program just because it’s something that’s expected of me and something I can do. Also, it’s hard to come from a family of immigrants that came to Canada dirt poor and justify not getting a stable job when I have the opportunity to. It is hard, but I work on the no regret principle – given the job opportunities I have right now (I’m planning to work on prairie dog behaviour in 4 month that basically involves me paying to work 12 hour days with no days off, but I get to know a whole prairie dog colony!), I would definitely regret not taking up such an opportunity and so however much hardship I see in it and however much I anticipate having moments where I’ll hate my job, I have to do it. I’m beginning to believe that I can only find out what I truly like by jumping into it, but your website and project has helped me remember that I should have the courage to jump out of what I don’t like to do also. Good luck everyone on finding and living your passion!
Sean,
this is great, i’m in my mid twenties’ dropped out of berkeley to find my emotional center and direction , still looking — still deciding — tried preschool teaching, massage therapy, taking care of camels and zebras and othe exotic things for low rent, writing, meditation, work-study at apiritual retreats, ecstatic dance, sufi stuff — now i’m intent on coming back to earth and using my gifts to help poeple particuallarly in the education field — you have amazing courage – i recognize that in myself (even in the midst of “lostness”) – i do things but i’m not head strong enough to push through barriers so apparantly– maybe it’s my pisces way0 – to be more subtle — but this society needs some major reworking thus it’s exciting to see you advertising the zest of Self satisfaction – deep satisfaction so well. i bet very few people know what you’re actually doing so don’t listen to much well meaning outsiders, keep to your forming vision.
blessings on your way.
Wow! That sounds very creative -just so unique. But hey! – you could have come on my corner. I have tempory jobs galore!
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.