MALCOLM RADKE
News Writer

As part of a nation-wide speaking tour, Sean Aiken gave a presentation at the University of Saskatchewan Feb. 10 to shed light on the universal journey to discover one’s passion.

Upon graduating in 2008, Aiken found himself without an answer to the critical question that all young people face: what the heck should I do for a living? Like many of his peers, Aiken had not yet found his passion but was feeling pressure to join the workforce.

“Everyone says to do what you’re passionate about. But how do you discover that?” Aiken asked his U of S audience.

Instead of leaping into a soul-sucking career that would inevitably destroy his youthful energy, Aiken decided to embark on the One Week Job Project, a 52-week journey working a different job each week. His goal was to discover his true inner passion and purpose.

His presentation included a shortened documentary of the project, which showed bits from each job he worked and his interviews with each employer.

The beauty of the idea for the project is that everyone in the working world has had to face this decision at some point in their lives. Some of Aiken’s employers were in their positions because they loved what they were doing, and some were in their positions because it was the first that was available when they entered the job market. All recommended that since we will be working for a long time anyway, we should do something enjoyable.

“I have found happiness, and now my family is happier,” said a young pre-school teacher who had Aiken help teach his class.

“I was so happy when I first earned money doing something I love,” said a 40-year-old scuba diving instructor, another one of Aiken’s short-term co-workers.

Along the way, Aiken’s story picked up considerable media attention from CNN, The New York Times and CBC, among others. These high-profile media outlets, it seems, recognized how easily every individual can relate to Aiken’s pursuit of passion and, ultimately, happiness.

“It’s a continual process,” said Aiken. “What makes us happy today may not be what makes us happy five years from now. Most adults still don’t know what they love.”

It is easy to see the connection between Aiken’s story and university students getting educations to pursue their dreams.

The host of Aiken’s talk, Jessica Richard of the Wilson Centre, encouraged students to work at following their dreams.

“His inspiring story is one that connects with anyone, especially future entrepreneurs who wish to forge their own path,” she said.

As we head into the much-needed reading week break, each of us will likely contemplate summer plans and career goals.

We often find ourselves focused on the end result, getting a great job, performing better, making more money and so on. Aiken’s message is to focus on something that we can enjoy and take pleasure from, and on something that interests us. The results — personal satisfaction and achievement — will come naturally. As Aiken puts it, “I never met anyone who regretted pursuing what they love.”

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image: Flickr