After recently reading the subversive book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***, I resonated with one if its big takeaways; don’t try to find the perfect life with no problems, find one with good problems to have that you enjoying solving.

Digging a little deeper with this concept, we often go on an existential journey to find the perfect job, the perfect relationship, and the perfect life. Where we have no problems and no stress. That simply (and perhaps unfortunately) does not exist. We’re always going to have issues arise in our lives, so we have to accept that, and work to create environments where we don’t mind what problems come up.

An example of this could be someone who wants to work in education. Being a teacher would seem like a logical fit, but there can be a lot of paperwork, regulations, and meetings that takes you away from actual teaching. Other jobs could allow for more student interaction and avoid some of the bad problems found in teaching.

This is all highly subjective of course, so it requires a lot of self awareness and exploration. You need to learn the realities of the industries and jobs you might be interested in. Figure out. as exact as we can, what we like to do, what we’re good at, and the environments we want to work in. To figure these things out, it can take time. You can talk with people at networking events and through informational interviews. Sometimes you can only know what you like by trying them firsthand. Whenever you have the chance to experiment with internships, collateral assignments, or sabbaticals, take it.

This can be a hard process to undertake. It can have us feel like all we’re discovering is things we don’t like. It can also have some sobering realizations of what we thought we wanted for ourselves that might not actually be a good fit. It’s important to not just tolerate something because we feel like there aren’t any other options. There is no limit to the niche opportunities that exist out in the world nowadays. We just have to commit the time and energy to finding them.

I wish you luck seeking out good problems to have in your life and in your work.