We all roll our eyes at annoying emails, throw our phones when a text about work comes in on Sunday and dread the daily commute. But at our very core, we know that having a job gives us purpose.
Leandra spoke about purpose in an episode of Monocycle. The general gist was that without a sense of purpose, we begin to wonder, “What’s the point?”
There always is a point, even when your pencil is snapped in half or the lead is dull. You just have to sharpen the pencil. There are days when this is easier than others, when the little portable plastic sharpener is in your desk, right where you left it, and all you have to do is turn a few twists to get your writing tool back in action. Other days — that can stretch on into weeks — you have to get up from your chair, walk in front of the class even though you hate your outfit, stick your pencil in that stupid, loud, ancient mechanical pencil sharpener that requires you to grind the handle as though you were rolling up the collapsable metal door of a convenience store and disrupt the class while doing so.
Annoying, yes. Seemingly impossible, for sure. But then you sit back down at get to work with the satisfaction of a perfect point.
Sometimes it takes a bit of outside perspective to help you stand up in the first place. A little “help from the teacher,” as it were. We spoke to 18 people from 18 very different career backgrounds about what it is that gives them pride, what gets them up in the morning and what keeps them moving forward. Click through the slideshow above and think of these varying words of wisdom like your favorite pencil sharpener — the kind that fits crayons and eyeliner, too.
The best part? No shavings to sweep up!
Photographed by Krista Anna Lewis.
