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"Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho" by Jason. Made with Photoshop. 
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Greeting and Salutations!
I made the art above for Penguins Can’t Fly. Inspired by the Beatles, Dilbert, The Simpsons, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this piece is a bit of a commentary on the concept of "work," which is something I think about a lot. This week, I'm including the accompanying text from the book, in the chapter "Thou Shalt Get a Job with Benefits." Enjoy!
Many well-intentioned parents, grandparents, and teachers urge kids to get a job with good benefits.
I couldn’t agree more. Except.
Except that when most people talk about “benefits,” they usually mean really, really good health insurance (with full dental!) and some sort of retirement plan that will take care of you when you’re put out to pasture.
When I was going through high school, trying to decide what I wanted to do in life, I got the impression that these specific benefits were very important. Even more important than liking the actual job I was doing to obtain said benefits.
That seemed backward to me. The idea of doing a job I hated (or only kinda liked) just for the so-called benefits made shooting myself out of a cannon into a brick wall more appealing.
Fortunately, my parents did support me as I gravitated toward a career in art that pretty much assured there would be no such benefits.
It blows my mind how many people make major life decisions based almost exclusively on this narrow view of “benefits.” They are willing to stay stuck in dead-end jobs that eat their soul just because they have a good vision plan. I think that a Cadillac health insurance program or generous vacation packages are fine factors to consider when hashing out the pros and cons of any potential job. But they should never be the only ones. And maybe not even the main ones.
The truth is that my job offers NONE of the benefits in the traditional sense. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. In fact, my job as an artist, author, and speaker, comes with TONS of benefits:
- The work I do makes a difference.
- I spend every day doing things I love. I set my own hours.
- I am rewarded for the results my hard work generates.
- I don’t have to answer to clueless middle managers, corporate suits, or short-sighted shareholders.
- I get paid to travel to cool places.
- I have no dress code. (I literally wear jeans or sweatpants every day.)
- I can take time off whenever I want. (Kim and I were BOTH able to take a maternity leave when our kids were born.)
- On most days, I get to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with my family.
- My daily commute is seven seconds long.
Now these benefits don’t come without a price. (In fact, ALL benefits come with a price of some sort.) Most of mine have required many years of hard work and persistence. Then there’s the pressure of being responsible for generating income (no sales = no groceries). Also, I don’t have a pension or company-matching 401k program, but I love what I do so much that I don’t envision ever really retiring. Oh yeah, and I have to pay a few hundred bucks a month for health insurance.
Totally worth it.
So yes, you should definitely have a job with benefits.
Just make sure they’re the ones you really want.
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Stay young and stay fun,
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P.S. If you liked this week's message, and haven't already pre-ordered Penguins Can't Fly, you really should. Because it's really sweet book about so-called "rules" that might be holding you back from living the story you deserve. Plus you get some super cool bonuses if you pre-order. Reserve your copy here!
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Penguins Can't Fly - A book about living a better story by overthrowing Adultitis and the rules that don't exist. Available to pre-order now! |
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meet marty, mini adultitis fighter
One of the best ways to defeat Adultitis is to set booby traps for it. One of our favorites involves a tiny penguin eraser called Marty...
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thou shalt not let them see you car dancing It is impossible to hear Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” while driving and not transform into a head-banging, lyric-belting, steering wheel-pounding god or goddess of rock ’n’ roll. That is until Adultitis reminds you that you are at a stoplight and there are windows in your car.
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saturday morning sprinkles
This week's curated collection of curiosities and wonders from around the web. The perfect companion to your morning bowl of cereal or favorite donut.
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by Jason Kotecki | Visit the Gallery | New to Kim & Jason?
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