I want to be famous!

By Klaus Döring

A career is a rapid motion. A course of action. A professional conduct in life. A progress through life. What is a careerist? One, who rushes widely and makes his own personal advancement his or her own aim in life.

When won’t career doubts go away? What if you’re not happy with your job? Is it possible that you’re in the wrong entirely?

My parents always (!) wanted me to become a banker. So far so good. Why not? Maybe I would have been more (or very happy) in my job. Or not?

The pressure “to be” someone starts in life early indeed. Not only my parents, also peers and teachers began to exert influence. Yes, I even didn’t know where my inclinations lie.

Being a doctor or a lawyer? Yes, I was interested in law and medicine during that time.

“The way that people pick careers is incredibly primitive,” said Nicholas Lore, founder of the Rockport Institute, a career coaching firm, and author of “The Pathfinder”. So, it’s no wonder, he said, that so many people are dissatisfied with their jobs. Me too. Yes, count me in! Not mass-communication has been my subject, but publishing house management. So far so good.

I always thought about a true calling for me. Sure, people whose careers aren’t the right fit often feel like impostors, Professor Robert I. Sutton, an organizational psychologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, said. Very, very well said, Sir.

How about you, my dear reader? Are you also placing too high your value on the external rewards of a job, like money, prestige, and power? Sure, these things are indeed important. Hold on! The work you do and the skills your opportunity requires, and the value of your work are really more vital to fulfillment. Paperwork or not. You think, you find a better career fit? Go ahead – but don’t expect that this is your life’s career!

I waited for my “better calling,” experiencing many better and wonderful moments in life. I also experienced that what I did had been very much compatible to me, as what my parents thought.

I became what I am now. A professor, a businessman, yes – thank you Lord! – a columnist, radio host and an expatriate in the Philippines for 24 years now (!) enjoying life here and cherishing the incredible companionship with these incredible Filipino people.

Is it OK to want to be famous? Although wanting to be famous is not necessarily a bad thing, it may be wise to examine the drivers. For example, insecure self-esteem, which can cause the desire for fame, can also negatively impact other parts of your life.

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