立即打开
理想越来越现实,美国人不愿再努力

理想越来越现实,美国人不愿再努力

ALICIA ADAMCZYK 2023-04-18
我现在希望生活有意义,而不是在某些方面取得最高成就。

自美国爆发新冠疫情至今已经超过三年,杰西卡·金的生活发生了翻天覆地的变化。

金是三个孩子的妈妈,也是护理平台Ianacare的创始人;此外,她还需要照顾年迈的父亲。她一直在努力工作。

但自2020年以来,她对努力工作的评价标准已经发生了变化。以前,她经常工作到深夜,用自己的工作头衔和成果定义自己。现在,她不再将实现一个接一个的里程碑,“不断攀登,步步高升”,作为自己的追求。

她依旧希望“有某些方面的追求”,希望保持热情。但她所追求的不见得是自己的事业。她经历了母亲的离世,而且在过去三年见证了许多人的死亡和患病,这让她认识到改变自己关注的优先事项的重要性。

金说道:“我现在希望生活有意义,而不是在某些方面取得最高成就。我想休息,想照顾好自己。我想放下一切去探望我的朋友。”

过去三年,杰西卡·金重新评估了自己的优先事项和志向。图片由杰西卡·金提供

自从我们推出有关个人志向的专栏以来,已经有数十人向我们讲述了他们的故事。他们对《财富》杂志称,他们依旧在努力工作,并且依旧有远大志向。但经历过全球疫情之后,面对社会和政治动荡以及恶性通胀、失业和可能发生的经济衰退,他们重新评估了真正对自己重要的事情。虽然媒体纷纷呼吁“恢复正常”,但情况不可能恢复如初。

仅仅为了公司的利润而努力工作,已经对人们失去了吸引力。但为了一个长期梦想或个人成就而努力,却成为吸引他们努力的动力。面对持续不断的疾病、死亡和越来越难实现的生活标准,不出意外,许多人的世界观和自身定位发生了改变。

因此,许多人放弃了漫长而枯燥的工作,而是进入了奥斯汀·克莱昂所说的低调雄心的状态。这位作家兼艺术家对《财富》杂志表示:“我不了解什么是躺平,但我喜欢低调雄心这种观念。我不再擅长枯燥而漫长的工作,我想说,我所擅长的是坚持,继续做我在自己的创作生涯中创立的事业。”

自疫情爆发以来,一些美国人通过许多方式重新思考他们与劳动的关系,这只是其中之一。有人发现他们更关注的是家人、个人健康和自由时间,而不是为了表面上的成就多工作几个小时。还有人依旧在努力实现恰当的平衡,在享受软生活的同时,确定自己的低调雄心是什么。

“我不只是上班族中的一员”

对于克里昂而言,所谓低调雄心就是每天在自己的工作室里进行艺术创作。他说道:“这不是一份艰难繁重的工作,任务并不艰巨。”对于金而言,信念在她的生活中扮演着重要角色。她的低调雄心就是保证每一个决策都以爱为出发点。而克里斯蒂娜·格雅尼斯认为,低调雄心就是放弃“为了取得成就而努力”的观念。

2020年,格雅尼斯在十年来首次获得了喘息的机会。她曾是一名自由职业记者兼编辑,她将疫情带来的“暂停”视为实现创业这个长期理想的机会。

42岁的格雅尼斯与另外两名女性合作创建了一家品牌编辑代理公司Revel Digital Collective,这个决定改变了她的人生。现在她所关注的是培养长期关系和合作,而不是像以前所在的媒体行业一样坚持快节奏的工作方式。

与此同时,追求梦想让她成为一家成功公司的领导人,使她能实现自己的远大志向。她发现,长期从事枯燥的工作,并不代表成功。

她说道:“我以前忙于工作。现在我不会停止工作,但不会再像以前那样高强度的工作。激励我工作的动力依旧存在,【但是】我变得比以前更低调。”

2022年,格雅尼斯的父亲被确诊癌症,她还需要照顾父亲,幸运的是,她的工作时间比较灵活,可以陪父亲看医生和接受化疗,不会产生职业上的不良后果。以前她可能会更担心会议的截止日期;现在她将父亲放在首位。

对于格雅尼斯而言,过去几年的变化掀开了她人生的新篇章。日复一日地进行写作让她感到兴奋。在重视持续努力、追求年轻时暴富以及看中短期结果却不关心长期成功的文化中,低调雄心可能悄然掀起革命。

她说道:”疫情暴露出我们人性的一面。在疫情之前,显然我们只是众多上班族中的一员。现在情况发生了变化。我不只是一个上班族,我还是一个人,是一个完整的人。”(财富中文网)

译者:刘进龙

审校:汪皓

自美国爆发新冠疫情至今已经超过三年,杰西卡·金的生活发生了翻天覆地的变化。

金是三个孩子的妈妈,也是护理平台Ianacare的创始人;此外,她还需要照顾年迈的父亲。她一直在努力工作。

但自2020年以来,她对努力工作的评价标准已经发生了变化。以前,她经常工作到深夜,用自己的工作头衔和成果定义自己。现在,她不再将实现一个接一个的里程碑,“不断攀登,步步高升”,作为自己的追求。

她依旧希望“有某些方面的追求”,希望保持热情。但她所追求的不见得是自己的事业。她经历了母亲的离世,而且在过去三年见证了许多人的死亡和患病,这让她认识到改变自己关注的优先事项的重要性。

金说道:“我现在希望生活有意义,而不是在某些方面取得最高成就。我想休息,想照顾好自己。我想放下一切去探望我的朋友。”

自从我们推出有关个人志向的专栏以来,已经有数十人向我们讲述了他们的故事。他们对《财富》杂志称,他们依旧在努力工作,并且依旧有远大志向。但经历过全球疫情之后,面对社会和政治动荡以及恶性通胀、失业和可能发生的经济衰退,他们重新评估了真正对自己重要的事情。虽然媒体纷纷呼吁“恢复正常”,但情况不可能恢复如初。

仅仅为了公司的利润而努力工作,已经对人们失去了吸引力。但为了一个长期梦想或个人成就而努力,却成为吸引他们努力的动力。面对持续不断的疾病、死亡和越来越难实现的生活标准,不出意外,许多人的世界观和自身定位发生了改变。

因此,许多人放弃了漫长而枯燥的工作,而是进入了奥斯汀·克莱昂所说的低调雄心的状态。这位作家兼艺术家对《财富》杂志表示:“我不了解什么是躺平,但我喜欢低调雄心这种观念。我不再擅长枯燥而漫长的工作,我想说,我所擅长的是坚持,继续做我在自己的创作生涯中创立的事业。”

自疫情爆发以来,一些美国人通过许多方式重新思考他们与劳动的关系,这只是其中之一。有人发现他们更关注的是家人、个人健康和自由时间,而不是为了表面上的成就多工作几个小时。还有人依旧在努力实现恰当的平衡,在享受软生活的同时,确定自己的低调雄心是什么。

“我不只是上班族中的一员”

对于克里昂而言,所谓低调雄心就是每天在自己的工作室里进行艺术创作。他说道:“这不是一份艰难繁重的工作,任务并不艰巨。”对于金而言,信念在她的生活中扮演着重要角色。她的低调雄心就是保证每一个决策都以爱为出发点。而克里斯蒂娜·格雅尼斯认为,低调雄心就是放弃“为了取得成就而努力”的观念。

2020年,格雅尼斯在十年来首次获得了喘息的机会。她曾是一名自由职业记者兼编辑,她将疫情带来的“暂停”视为实现创业这个长期理想的机会。

42岁的格雅尼斯与另外两名女性合作创建了一家品牌编辑代理公司Revel Digital Collective,这个决定改变了她的人生。现在她所关注的是培养长期关系和合作,而不是像以前所在的媒体行业一样坚持快节奏的工作方式。

与此同时,追求梦想让她成为一家成功公司的领导人,使她能实现自己的远大志向。她发现,长期从事枯燥的工作,并不代表成功。

她说道:“我以前忙于工作。现在我不会停止工作,但不会再像以前那样高强度的工作。激励我工作的动力依旧存在,【但是】我变得比以前更低调。”

2022年,格雅尼斯的父亲被确诊癌症,她还需要照顾父亲,幸运的是,她的工作时间比较灵活,可以陪父亲看医生和接受化疗,不会产生职业上的不良后果。以前她可能会更担心会议的截止日期;现在她将父亲放在首位。

对于格雅尼斯而言,过去几年的变化掀开了她人生的新篇章。日复一日地进行写作让她感到兴奋。在重视持续努力、追求年轻时暴富以及看中短期结果却不关心长期成功的文化中,低调雄心可能悄然掀起革命。

她说道:”疫情暴露出我们人性的一面。在疫情之前,显然我们只是众多上班族中的一员。现在情况发生了变化。我不只是一个上班族,我还是一个人,是一个完整的人。”(财富中文网)

译者:刘进龙

审校:汪皓

More than three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., Jessica Kim’s life looks very different than it used to.

Kim is a mother of three and founder of Ianacare, a caregiving platform; she also looks after her aging father. She is working hard, all of the time.

But the tenor of her hard work has changed since 2020. Before, grinding well into the night and defining herself by her job title and what she produced was her norm. Now, she is no longer interested in hitting one career milestone after the next, of “always going up and to the right.”

She still “wants to go after something,” to be passionate. But that something no longer has to be her career. Watching her mother die and bearing witness to the death and sickness of the last three years drove home how important it was for her to change her priorities.

“My ambition now is I want to live a meaningful life, versus I want to achieve the highest level of success in X,Y,Z, things,” says Kim. “I want to rest. I want to take care of myself. I want to drop everything and show up for my friend.”

Since launching our series on ambition, dozens of people have reached out to tell their stories. Yes, they tell Fortune, they’re still working hard, still have ambitions. But after living through a worldwide pandemic, enduring social and political unrest, and facing rampant inflation, job losses, and a possible recession, they’ve reassessed what’s actually important to them. Though headlines call for a “return to normal,” there’s no returning to their old selves.

Working hard solely for the sake of a company’s bottom line doesn’t appeal to them. But working toward a long-held dream or for personal fulfillment does. When faced with constant illness, death, and an increasingly difficult-to-achieve standard of living, it’s not surprising that many peoples’ views on the world and their place in it changed.

As a result, some are leaning out of the grind and into what Austin Kleon calls quiet ambition. “I don’t know what quiet quitting is, but I like the idea of quiet ambition,” the author and artist tells Fortune. “I’m not so good at the grind anymore. What I would say I’m really good at is sticking around and sticking with things that I’ve set up in my own creative career.”

It’s just one of the many ways some Americans have been reimagining their relationship to labor since the pandemic began. Some people find themselves prioritizing their families, personal health, and free time over spending a few more hours logged on at work for appearances’ sake. And others are still trying to strike the right balance, living soft lives while figuring out what their quiet ambition looks like.

‘I’m not just a headcount’

For Kleon, quiet ambition takes the form of showing up in his studio day after day and creating art—”it’s not back-breaking labor, it’s not a herculean task,” he says. For Kim, whose faith also plays a big role in her life, quiet ambition is ensuring that love is at the center of every decision she makes. And for Cristina Goyanes, it’s looking past “chasing achievement for achievements’ sake.”

In 2020, Goyanes was able to catch her breath for the first time in over a decade. Previously a freelance reporter and editor, she used the “pause” as an opportunity to go after her long-time dream of entrepreneurship.

The 42-year-old co-founded Revel Digital Collective, a brand editorial agency, with two other women, and the decision has been life-changing. Her focus is now on nurturing long-term relationships and contracts, not necessarily working at the breakneck pace inherent to media, her old industry.

At the same time, pursuing her dream is also allowing her ambition to flourish as she steps into the new role of leader of a successful company. She’s finding that grinding is not synonymous with success.

“I did the work. Now, I’m not going to stop doing the work, but I can do it at not the same intensity,” she says. “The drive is still there, [but] it’s a little quieter than before.”

When her father was diagnosed with cancer in 2022, Goyanes found herself in a caretaker role and was thankful she had the flexibility to attend his doctor appointments and Chemo treatments without being punished professionally. Before, she might have been more worried about meeting deadlines; now, she could put her father first.

For Goyanes, the changes she made in the past few years are the beginning of a new chapter in her life. She’s excited to write the story day by day. In a culture that values the constant grind, striking it rich when you’re young, and short-term results over long-term success, quiet ambition can be quietly revolutionary.

“The pandemic allowed us to be seen as humans,” she says. “Before the pandemic, it was clear that we were just a headcount. Now that’s changed. I’m not just a headcount, I’m a human, I’m a whole person.”

热读文章
热门视频
扫描二维码下载财富APP