Seth Godin - "The Work You Get to Do"

20 Apr 2019 · 1 min

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1:23

In this talk, Seth Godin recounts a pivotal moment in the late 1980s when, after working as a book packager, he realized that creating work was a privilege rather than a duty. He describes how having a reliable fallback—such as the ability to earn a living as a bank teller or taking freelance gigs—gave him the confidence to view writing and publishing as something he gets to do, not something he must do to survive. This mindset led him to start a daily blog written primarily for himself, removing the pressure of having to sell books or please an audience. Over time, this habit became invaluable; he writes because he can, and any reader’s engagement is a bonus. By adopting this attitude, he frees his audience to choose whether to read or buy, shifting his purpose from selling products to changing minds.

Chapters

Something shifted for me probably the third year I was a book packager, so that must have been '87 or '88, and I came to the conclusion that this was something I get to do, not something I have to do, because I knew I could get a— make a living as a bank teller. I knew I could make a living— I got a freelance gig to tide me over doing a 20-page spreadsheet for a series of nursing homes that were being acquired. I knew I could do that and not starve to death. So if— sorry, that's the local fire department. If I was going to do this, I should take the posture of, wow, what a privilege. I get to mail out a book proposal and maybe, just maybe, someone will buy it. I get to write something on my blog and maybe, just maybe, someone will read it. But I'm writing it because I get to write it, not because someone's going to get to read it. And over time, that habit became priceless to me. And I write the blog every day, mostly for me. I'm thrilled when it resonates with someone, but I love that I have the chance to do it. And having that attitude takes all the pressure off the other person. And now I'm giving them the freedom to make the decision they want to make. So if someone comes to me and says, I've read 1,000 of your blog posts and never read a book, I'm like, fine. That's OK, because I'm not here to sell books. I'm here to change minds.