When I arrived at Duke University as a freshman in the autumn of 1989, the most striking and unsettling thing I noticed was the apparent segregation: the student body was mostly white. The staff in the cafeteria was all black. I’d grown up in Anchorage, Alaska— not a particularly diverse place, but also not a place where racial inequalities were immediately apparent. Other than reading Gone with the Wind at a swim meet one weekend, I didn’t have ay experience with or knowledge of the south.
And so today, news that in honor of Duke University’s centennial, the East Campus Union building was being renamed for George and George Frank-Wall, longtime custodians at Duke, gave me a surge of joy. George Frank-Wall left $100 to Duke in his will when he died in 1946, before there were any black faculty or students at Duke. I can’t imagine a better opportunity to honor the contributions of this man in the history of the school, and in doing so acknowledge as well many years of continued lack of acknowledgement.
80,000 hours. That’s the amount of time an average person will spend at work over the course of their lives and careers, according to the charity of the same name. What will you do with that time, that allotted and obligatory time that is a precious part of the one wild life you’ve been given?
MARK YOUR CALENDARS for APRIL 14! I’ll be giving my first TEDX in San Luis Opisbo— you can get tickets or stream the event…I’d love to meet you in person, so if you’re in the area, come say hello!
For some people, work is a way to pay the bills, to support their family, and if they’re lucky, their passions. But for an increasing number of us, especially among the younger generations in the workforce, those 80,000 hours matter, and they want them to count toward something that matters.
HBR published an interesting statistic this week: that the fastest growing demographic of the workforce is people 65 and older— some for financial reasons, and some hopeful to find purposeful work. Young people aren’t the only employees you have who are looking for purpose. Work has dignity, and we all want the dignity in work.
The organization 80,000 Hours, founded by two Oxford graduates who calculated 80,000 as our number of hours worked in a lifetime, decided to build a resource for those looking for work with purpose. They note that working in a charity isn’t necessary to work with purpose— many charities don’t make much of a difference (which isn’t to say they aren’t still worth the effort). For those looking to maximize their impact, 80,000 Hours has job counseling, podcasts and other resources, as well as ideas for which skills have the potential to make the most difference, and even a job board.
Founder Benjamin Todd’s TED talk suggests following one’s passion isn’t the way to go. Researchers haven’t connected our interests and our happiness at work, despite their best efforts, he says. Instead, “do what’s valuable.” I couldn’t agree more.
How do you figure out what it is to do? Explore, says Todd (this connects with Workboard CEO Deidre Paknad’s advice on the podcast). Get good at a set of skills. Then find a place that needs fixing and apply those skills to the biggest challenges. Altruism, he notes, is the one thing you will never regret.
I think Todd would be a fan of The Grit Factor, especially Chapter 2, don’t you?
How do you think about your 80,000 Hours? I’d love to know by email, voicemail or a response in the comments!
For paid subscribers, a worksheet with journaling prompts to start you thinking about what matters in your work and life is below.
Shannon
PS: Have a question about anything at all related to The Grit Factor and its application in your work and life? Send me a voicemail, and we’ll include it open an AMA episode in Season 3 of the podcast!