From Bill Murray interview in Entertainment Weekly (via TerryStarbucker.com):
“I just really want to work when I want to work. Life interferes, you know. When you’re young and all you have is your career, some of your life can be in second place. And then you want your life to take first place, and other people don’t see it that way. They see it that your life has to take second place, and it’s hard. Life is really hard, and it’s the only one you have. I mean, I like doing what I do, and I know I’m supposed to do it, but I don’t have anything to bring to it if I don’t live my life.”
Starbucker comments:
“Bill Murray [says] my life is in first place. But he adds something worth paying particular attention to, which I will paraphrase here: If I can’t bring my life to my work, I’m not going to do that work. Life is hard enough.
Let’s stop there for a second. That’s an easy thing to say when you already have more money than you can possibly need, and the main tangible output of work (read, money) isn’t an issue. Mr. Murray certainly is in that category.
How does it play out for those of us who aren’t in that situation? There’s the rub, as Hamlet would say.”
[…] Reading Notebook #16: Life Interferes With Work & Vice Versa … […]
Excellent article. Here's the response I left over there: One of the things I've always believed is – you are what you want to be. Each day you make a choice which path you will follow and how much compassion and love you're willing to part with. Simple things with huge consequences. No matter what we do, in the end it's all part of the living. The question is how do you want to live. (Hugs)Indigo I'm not simply remarking on the above. I've learned to choose life above all else. Sadly, it took me going deaf 5 years ago,… Read more »
Thanks so much for sharing your response here – much appreciated!
I suppose the lived life Mr. Murray speaks of is a Thoreauvian one. A life where you can choose how you interact with the world and what you do for work. For most of us, our work is our job—or our day job. In truth, it is our life or at least fifty to eighty percent of it. Life and work are difficult. Sometimes you have to do both whether or not you have anything interesting to offer. We may not be able to stop working in order “to live” life, but we can choose how we react to it… Read more »
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! It brings to mind a couple articles I've read lately that delve further into the issue …
Why You Don't Need Passion to Be Successful
http://principlesoffailure.blogspot.com/2010/06…
On the Frustrations of Earning a Living by Roman Krznaric
http://theschooloflife.typepad.com/the_school_o…
(If you visit Krznaric's site, you can download more of his work. He seems like someone you'd resonate with.)