It’s not unusual to meet someone outside the office, tell them what I do for a living and for them to immediately want to talk about politics. They want to engage about the state of the races for higher office, policy discussed in the last city council meeting and why they agree, or disagree, with a story published in this newspaper.
I’m a social person and happy to talk with anyone about anything, but I’m sure it’s obvious in these discussions that I would rather move on to another subject. It can be boring to rehash all the information that fills my workday, just like friends who are bankers get sick of my questions about investments, and Realtors try to escape the monotony of explaining swings in the housing market when they’re not on the clock.
I love my job. The Beacon is a cool place to work and I’m lucky to be surrounded by many of my closest friends every day. But it’s still a routine, with the hours of the day slipping away, and it’s easy to lose motivation to do anything else, which is the exact opposite of what you should do.
In the profile we published last week of Scott Gaiser, the principal at Columbia Falls High School who qualified for his fourth Ironman World Championship, the most impressive aspect to me was the training regimen required. He wakes up at 4 a.m. to swim, runs in the evening and sets aside time on the weekend for 100-mile bike rides. Why would someone put in so much work after work?
That question can be posed to more than just amateur athletes. Mary H.K. Choi, in a story for Wired magazine, wrote about how some of the most successful people with some of the most interesting jobs find happiness through their “side gig.”
She interviews Brian Michael Bedis, who works for Marvel Comics on titles like the “Ultimate Spider-Man” – talk about a cool job – but finds satisfaction with his personal projects like the superhero book “Powers.”
“Reinvigorating a job with another job can be habit-forming,” Choi writes. “That’s why movie stars take to the stage. It’s probably why Mad Men star Jon Hamm plays the voice of a talking toilet on Bob’s Burgers.”
My parents recently sold their home and are currently shopping for property. One unexpected frustration for them, while they rent, is that neither can enjoy their second jobs. Mom can’t dig up the backyard and spend hours planting and maintaining her flowerbeds. Dad can no longer bang on whatever project he has going on around the house.
When I am concerning myself with politics and current events all day, then (often subconsciously) continuing that same work after hours, it wears on my sanity. It’s great to be passionate about your job. I am, but it’s also easy for it to sap your enthusiasm.
This time of year is always the worst. An election is approaching. It’s impossible to ignore the flood of analysis on my Twitter feed and press releases that fill my inbox. Just about everyone wants to explain what’s wrong or right with the candidates and why the city, county and country are heading in the wrong or right direction.
These issues are of the utmost importance and I spend hours caring about them. I’m asking questions at two upcoming political debates. But supplementing work with completely unrelated side gigs is when I strike the right balance.
When Gaiser is in the middle of a 100-mile bike ride he has found an escape. That likely makes him better at his day job, which by all accounts he loves. And I for one hope to use him as an example next time I’m feeling one-dimensional.