Evan CarmichaelSpeaker / Author / Introvert

How to Fix Your Life with Mindful Decisions | 1 Minute Insights from Alan Watts

25 Feb 2015 · 2 min

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1:39

In this brief motivational clip, Evan Carmichael presents Alan Watts' perspective on career choice and life fulfillment. Watts advises asking the pivotal question, “What would you like to do if money were no object?” He argues that many students default to practical concerns, but true satisfaction comes from pursuing one’s genuine passions—whether painting, poetry, writing, or an outdoor lifestyle. By focusing on what you love rather than on immediate financial gain, you can fully immerse yourself, achieve mastery, and eventually earn a good living. Watts warns that prioritizing money leads to a long, miserable life spent doing work you dislike, whereas a shorter life filled with meaningful activity is preferable.

Chapters

Please welcome Alan Watts. What do you desire? What makes you itch? What sort of situation would you like? I do this often in vocational guidance of students. They come to me and say, "Well, um, we're getting out of college and we haven't the faintest idea what we want to do." So I always ask the question, "What would you like to do if money were no object?" How would you really enjoy spending your life? It's so amazing the results of our educational system that crowds of students say, "Well, we'd like to be painters. We'd like to be poets. We'd like to be writers. I'd like to live an outdoors life and ride horses." But everybody knows you can't earn any money that way. When we finally get down to something which the individual says they really want to do, I will say to them, "You do that!" and forget the money. Because if you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you will spend your life completely wasting your time. You'll be doing things you don't like in order to go on living. That is, to go on doing things that you don't like, which is stupid. Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way. And after all, if you do really like what you're doing, It doesn't matter what it is. You can eventually become a master of it. The only way to become a master of something is to be really with it. And then you'll be able to get a good fee for whatever it is. Therefore, it's so important to consider this question: What do I desire? Alan Watts.