What's It All About, Alfie?
You know that Meow Mix commercial with the all-too-catchy jingle: "Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow," and so on and on and on ...
In one particular scene, I remember where the dogs are watching the cats walk along the street and the dogs start humming the jingle and then look at each other and one says, "Great. Now I'm going to have that song in my head all day."
I'm sure we all know that feeling when that one pesky song or thought keeps going around and around and around in our minds. Well, for me lately that song has been the first two lines of the theme song from the newly re-released movie "Alfie." All I can remember is the first two lines:
"What's it all about, Alfie? Is it just for the moment we live?"I don't even know if I've ever heard the whole song, but lately people have been very interested in the topic of life purpose, so those words have started to be on my mind a lot.
I've spoken to 4 groups in the past week and each group has gotten some form of the "what's it all about" message. Their positive feedback has prompted me to look more deeply at that question and how I might be able to best support my current and potential clients as they look into that question for themselves in their own lives.
Although it makes some sense to me why people of my generation (right on the edge of the Boomer/Gen X bubble) might be wondering about this at this point in our lives, I'm especially excited because I've been asked to speak about this same topic at a college student association meeting next week. The topics of life purpose, personal branding, integrity and those deeper subjects are even infiltrating our students' heads as they begin to examine their careers.
Maybe that shouldn't surprise me so much as it's clear the awareness of the entire planet seems to be shifting. We of our generation might need to work on our listening and our KNOWING as we interact with the younger generation within our workplaces.
What's it all about? I'm betting we'll discover it - together.
posted by Jodee Bock @ 8:54 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Hi Jodee,
Okay... here is a question for you... why does it makes sense to you that people of your generation might be wondering "what is it all about?" What is the "shift"... you see I ask this question while pondering of my own motives of questioning "what is "IT" all about"...
There are parts of my life that I live in every day I absolutely love and adore and I wouldn't change a thing about them, but the parts that I cannot see myself living 20 years from today - which I have finally had the courage to admit to myself - has driven me to the restlesness, the agitation, the fire ball that I feel deep inside today...
What if I am supposed to have a more "noble" cause to question everything rather than purely selfish reason of "I want something else, something more" in my life...
Did you read the book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho?
Nukhet: Thanks for the thought-inspiring post! I've thought about this question a lot recently, and don't remember having thought it when I was in college, for example, so I'm inspired that college students now are thinking about this. I might not be indicative of others of my age group, but for me I'm sensing this shift now - maybe more in my awareness than anyone else's.
I'm beginning to understand that there is a higher purpose for my life ... again, I can only speak for myself, but as I have this conversation with more people, I hear them feeling the same way without knowing how to have this dialogue.
I haven't read the book you suggested, but am always up for new thought-provoking stimulation!
Thanks for your comments! I'll look forward to continuing this dialogue!
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