I read some Confucius today, the Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. One of his many quotes “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” I’ve read it many times and it’s worth sharing today.

I enjoyed a magic moment today as we were settling up Elise’s tuition bill today. I asked her what she was going to do after graduation and she said “I’m going to work, dad. What’s your thought on what I should do?”

So I told her here is my take on work miss Elise.

“Elise. For most of my adult life I’ve been involved in finding people jobs. I was always fortunate to have a job I enjoyed.  I only had three after college, all with a good mentor along the journey. I often equated work comparable to my other passions.

My family, my friends, my work, my community, and my love of golf. They all are so enjoyable to me, even though my golf handicap slipped to double digits last year. These passions all have a lot of moving parts. It is what makes them so much fun. Enjoyment in life, in work, as in golf, comes from constant learning and improvement. From the tools, to equipment, to technology, to gaining knowledge, to being smart, to making good decisions, to teaching, to knowing how to dress, and tip, and behave, and being courteous, and competitive, and fun to be with. It’s all one cocktail.

So for me Elise, to render some sage advice. Make a wise and informed choice. Love what you do, who you do it with, how you do it, and tell people why you love what you do. Choose the right work and you’ll have the same fortune.