What Do You Love To Do? by LA Bourgeois
Let’s welcome back LA Bourgeois as she shares with us “What Do You Love To Do?” Enjoy!
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At the party, in a corner, nursing a seltzer instead of the host’s signature holiday cocktail that appears to be the precursor to a pounding headache and the sudden onset of type 2 diabetes.
Deep breath. Time to make an effort. Turn to the person on my right. “Hi!”
“Hello,” she replies with a smile. “Great party.”
“Yeah, great party.”
Now is the time. She’s going to ask the awkward question. She doesn’t know that it’s awkward. It’s just what everyone asks.
“So, what do you do?”
Ugh. How to answer?
A bunch of writer advice says to say, “I’m a writer” and claim the title even if you haven’t published anything.
You are a writer just because you write! That is enough. And, frankly, even if you have published a book or articles or anything, the next question is usually, “Anything I’ve heard of?” like you have psychic powers and can know. “Why yes! You read my article about the Apple Harvest Festival in the local paper!”
Meanwhile, imposter syndrome blooms throughout your body and pushes you to say, “I’m an administrative assistant,” or whatever your current job is.
And then you ask them what they do and end up talking about tax accounting for the rest of the evening.
Some party, am I right?!
Embrace your inner Nancy Reagan and “Just say NO” to these awful conversations! You write because you love it, and isn’t that a more interesting conversation anyway?
Instead of asking “what do you do?” what would happen if you asked “what do you LOVE to do?”
I guarantee the conversation is going to be more interesting!
Because what does George, the tax accountant, love to do? Play Dungeons & Dragons? Water ski? Ghost hunt?
All kinds of lovely juicy interesting things simmer below the surface of his pocket protector.
Plus, doesn’t this make for the best kind of character research?!
Now, if you can’t get your question in first, there’s an easy way to shift the conversation. Try this response:
“What do I do? Oh, I write and no, you haven’t ready anything I’ve written because I don’t show it to people. But I’m still a writer. Oh, you want to know what I do for a living? That’s soooo boring. Tell me about what you love to do!”
That’s allowable.
That’s preferable.
That’s lovely.
What if we all celebrated what we loved to do, instead of a job that we may or may not like? Would that be so bad?
Practice now, just in your mind. What do you do?
I write novels about space cowboys who herd alien cactus.
I write hard-boiled detective stories that take place in small towns.
I write books about a green witch who gardens houseplants and helps lovers find each other.
Such interesting conversations that could show up in this world. As opposed to yet another conversation about the office that deteriorates into gossip about workmates and leaves you leaving the party feeling like you’ve just worked another eight hours.
Let’s give it a try…
What do you love to do?
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ABOUT LA BOURGEOIS
LA (as in tra-la-la) Bourgeois is a Kaizen-Muse Certified Creativity Coach and author who helps clients embrace the joy of their creative work and thrive while doing it.
Get more of her creativity ideas and techniques by subscribing to her newsletter at https://subscribepage.io/unlockyourcreativity.
