Why you shouldn’t care what other people think of your job

The cocktail party test is a middle-class lie

Why is the cocktail party test even a thing?

Why are you trying to impress these people? I mean, look at that guy holding his wine like a cross to bear — he doesn’t really care. He’s here for the wine only.

That other guy facing the camera but also just off-camera? He’s straining his eyes to either see something, hear something he missed, or hold in a fart.

Stop trying to impress these people.

But why do you still feel like you have to?

Photo by Antenna on Unsplash

Because you’ve been trained to promote the self-image you project onto the world as being more important than how you feel.

Do you know how unhealthy that is?

You’ve heard it all before, but building character and building your LinkedIn profile are not the same thing…

You shouldn’t care what other people think of your job. Asking inane, asinine questions like “does your job pass the cocktail party test?” is the kind of insecurity inducing b-lls — t that no-one needs when they’re simply trying to make their way through life.

The cocktail party test is just another form of social-class bullying.

Is your life up to the standards adverts and glossy magazines expect of you?

Can you tell a story without people glazing over?

Is your job fancy enough with a sparkling title?

Is there a “president” or “chief” in your title which gave your ego the lift it needed, but not your soul?

Did you actually achieve all you wanted to achieve by now, or just a job name that suggests you did?

Or how about this:

What are you giving back to the world?

That’s the only thing that matters.