The story of your life is a work in progress

When I got out of college I told everyone I wanted to be a writer. That was my story and the more I said it, the more it became true. I did all the things I thought writers were supposed to do: I rented a cheap apartment, bought a manual typewriter, went to bars alone, read Bukowski. I worked strange jobs to give me something to write about. And I kept a stack of papers on the kitchen table as proof my story was true.

Some artists do this their whole lives. I lasted five years. Then I got a job as a communications specialist at Starbucks HQ, my first paid writing gig. And I felt like I'd landed.

I wrote and edited company memos sent to Starbucks stores, tightly formatted, all bullets, black and white. If there was a voice to those memos I'd call it matter-of-fact, charmless. Like the voice behind the Wizard of Oz, it was a booming monotone broadcast on a razor-thin band.

All writing is creative. But the creativity that job demanded was like fitting luggage into a hatchback. There just wasn't enough room in people's heads for all the stuff corporate wanted to say. We had to wiggle it around and make it fit. We were less about storytelling and more about reporting the news, most of which was bad. Do this, do that. Stop doing that. Start doing this. On and on it went, every Monday for the Tuesday mail. On Fridays I got paid, and life moved on.

The story we tell ourselves about the work we do is important because whether it's true or not, we believe it. And that can determine how happy we feel about our work, and ourselves.

More important than a story's truth is how well it serves you. Is it leading you where you want to be or holding you back? That writing gig I had at Starbucks was exactly what I needed and I'd do it again. I'd be better the next time. That's the story I tell myself to feel good about how much I've grown.

As our kids start thinking about entering the workforce we're trying to steer them toward something they'll love. And that naturally comes back to what they think they're good at. You can be good at something and not love it enough; my journey is how I combine the two.

I am nowhere near finished, but I'm enjoying it. And perhaps that's what matters most about any good story. It won't be original or altogether true, but you can make it true to you.

Thanks for reading my new content series Gig Work! If you enjoyed reading this please like, comment, or share with a friend—or join my network!

Thanks for reading,

Bill