I was walking down the street in Arlington, VA with my headset in my ears. A song by Ben Folds was playing and I laughed. It felt very melodramatic. “It’s like my own personal movie soundtrack,” I thought to myself. And so for the rest of the trip to the client I imagined myself playing out a scene in a movie.
Ok, don’t lie. You have almost certainly done the same thing. Music can have that effect on us. While I was enjoying my own personal movie, however, another idea struck me. We do have soundtracks, don’t we? Music scores that play in the background that translate the emotions of our lives. That soundtrack applies to all aspects of our lives, including our career. So a question struck me, what is the soundtrack of my career?
There’s a pretty good chance that I’ve lost you. Let me explain what I mean. Movies use music to convey emotion. They help to tell you the emotions that you are supposed to be feeling during that scene in the movie. If it’s supposed to be a tender, romantic moment, enter the strings. If you’re supposed to be scared, the music will be low and eerie. You get the idea. When you listen to a movie’s score, you are literally listening to the emotional profile of the movie.
Our lives are driven by emotion. Our emotional state and well being dictate a lot about who we are and how we behave in any given situation. So what’s the soundtrack of your career? If I were to listen to it what would it tell me about your emotional state at different stages of your career? Are you a documentary, a spy thriller or an action film?
For a lot of people in IT, our soundtrack is that of a documentary. Not much drama. Not much excitement. Not much anything. We check our emotion at the door and pretend that it doesn’t exist.
For others, our soundtrack is a spy thriller. Another conspiracy around every corner. There is always someone out to get us. The tension never lets up. There’s plenty of emotion, but not much of it is good or healthy.
But for the fortunate few, their soundtrack is that of an action film. Fast-paced. Action packed. Crazy tense moments, but they always come out on top. And they always get the girl (or the guy, as the case may be) in the end and ride off into the sunset as the hero. You walk out of the theater feeling happy and energized.
Here’s the thing. You are writing your own script right now. You can make any kind of movie that you want. You are the producer, the director and the star of your own career. Make it an action film. Be the hero. Take some risks. Pour your whole self into what you do. Be emotional. Be passionate. Be the star.
So what kind of movie are you going to make? What will your soundtrack sound like? Will you be the hero of your own career?
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