【Description】

How do our major life goals intersect with our occupation? Should we experience our occupation as an enjoyable hobby, or simply a way to make a living? If we wish to manifest a cherished goal as a dream job, what factors should we consider?

Many young people are full of confusion regarding their life goals. If you are one of them, please listen to Meditation Master JinBodhi’s teaching, which will help you reexamine your current aims and inspire you to move confidently toward your desired future.

【You will learn】

  • Choosing between your hobby and a career
  • Think clearly and purposefully when choosing a career

【Featured aphorism】

  • Whether a dream can be realized to earn a living depends on its marketability.
  • Think about the present and the future when choosing a career.

【Content】

Think about the present and the future when choosing a profession.

(Hello, Master. I am interested in music but I am aware that this industry is full of talented people. I am also aware that I probably won’t go far. I feel lost. Should I continue pursuing a career in music? Or should I choose a “safer” path and stay on it for life?)

What do you plan to achieve in music? (I play the flute.) The one you hold like this when you play? There are so many flute players, right?

(Yes, I know some who are brilliant at it. The more I think of it, the more I feel I won’t make it. I feel I might not achieve anything in this.)

He brought up something worth discussing. He mentioned the importance of having a dream to pursue. How long have you been playing the flute? (I learned it 2 years ago.) Alright, a flute player, started 2 years ago. Did you aspire to become a flute player when you started it?

(Not at all. But lately, I have been thinking about it. But I also doubt myself.)

That happens. We often associate a dream with a profession, right? You doubt that you can make a living playing the flute. Good. Please keep such a mindset. All professions in this world are meant to support us. It is possible to earn money playing the flute. As a street musician, you will be able to buy food. That works. If you become a professional flute player and want to live luxuriously, it is possible, but it will be hard.

What you do is the same, but the mindset affects the outcome. This is the reality of a hobby versus a profession. If you treat it as a hobby, not a profession, then it is fine. You have spent a long time perfecting your skills.

That shows you wanted this as a profession or a job. I won’t rule out your success, but it is going to be really hard. You need to be extremely good to become a world-class musician.

When choosing a dream, think about all the aspects. Does it have a market? Does it pay? Can you survive with it? Take archery for example. You could become a soldier with this skill. But that only could happen 300 years ago. Wars were fought using ancient weaponry. Nowadays, wars are fought with firearms. The earliest were created about 100-200 years ago. In ancient times, you could survive if you were a good archer. You could get a job in the army. If you were really good at it, you were respected.

At present, will you survive if you are good with a bow and arrow? Who has an easier time getting a job, an archer or someone with a computer-engineering degree? The usefulness of a skill depends on the era. A good archer earned respect 300 years ago, or 3,000 years ago. In ancient times, skilled archers were respected. Why were bows and arrows important? First, to fight wars. Second, to survive. People used to hunt for food. Nobody survives without food. Some people wake up thinking of food. Can you hunt a boar with your flute? No, you can’t.

I could download tracks of flute that are better than what you play. At present, a hobby is one thing, making a living is another. Think about the present and the future when choosing a profession. Take job prospects into consideration when choosing a path. I am being realistic. You could get a job as a result of playing your musical instrument well. But someone with a computer-engineering degree will get a job more easily.

Think about the present and the future when choosing a profession. Ask yourself, “If this is my decision, are there jobs available?” Thank you.

(Thank you, Master.)