Om mani padme hum (posted by gins, 9 Dec 2013)

Decades ago, when I traveled through Tibet, I was told that spinning the prayer wheel would add to the overall happiness in the world.  Needless to say, we spent a lot of time on the trails through the mountains spinning wheels.  

Fast-forward to 2013, and an analyst I know recently sent over a great diagram he picked up from Linkedin.  It is probably the best characterization of the sometimes conflicting directions that those of us in technology face.   

Do we focus on what we love to do, what we are good at, or what pays well?  Are we penniless poets or Netserfs?   Here is the problem.... Very few of us have a job where we experience all three at once, and when we do, it is sometimes fleeting, subject to budgets, changes in the market, or changes in management.   Boredom, dreaming, and second-guessing the past and the future fill the time.  

The solution?  When looking back decades from now, focusing on what you love will make all the difference in the world and to those around you.   We probably need more of this in the valley, and a few more prayer wheels may not be a bad idea.