Deciding what it is you love to do and making a plan then sticking to said plan to get you where you want to go may sound so complex that you are put off even starting, we get it. Where do you even begin? And what if you do attempt it and are working towards a certain goal then realise you’re actually on a path you no longer feel you want to be going down? Most people will agree, that sounds pretty frustrating.
But what if we totally change our perception on what finding your dream job / career / life looks like. The only certainty we have in life is the present and whilst that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work towards things we’d like in our future (we definitely should), it tells us we need to ensure that we’re enjoying the process because it’s the only guaranteed part of the journey.
You might be wondering how this relates to Einstein and fucks given. We’ll get to the point.
First, we need to tell you where this correlation has come from. Last week, we had the pleasure of going to Gals Who Graduate’s event with Gradfuel which saw a huge number of graduates gather to talk to potential employers and hear insightful panel discussions from industry experts. One of the notes we came away with from the day was ‘you have a limited number of fucks to give in the day, spend them wisely’.
Reading that back made us think of a more eloquent quote from Albert Einstein:
"Not everything that counts can be counted”
The sentiments are similar but Einstein’s has further meaning than simply ‘be intentional with where you put your energy’, which the ‘fucks given’ quote can be interchanged with.
Einstein was implying that with most decisions we make, we come up our plan of action based on likely certainties (things we can measure). For example, ‘shall I take this new job, will I earn more money by doing so?’. However, not everything that counts in your decision-making process can actually be counted.
This is one of the best ‘right decision’ quotes we’ve come across and it has helped us in challenging times, especially in regards to job / career / life planning.
Sometimes, a decision you might want to make about your next step might equate to earning less money for a period of time or spending more time travelling and less at home. You can count money, you can count time and you could easily focus on the adding up of what you can count to guide your decision making process.
But, not everything that counts can be counted.
What about the personal fulfilment, the rewarding aspect, the legacy that you're going to leave?
Those things can't really be counted.
The next time you have decisions to make, big or small, try to think about this quote and see how this shift in focus makes you want to act. You can trial it next time you buy something, everything has a price tag. But, not everything that counts can be counted! What about the way it makes you feel? That matters and can’t be quantified.