Michelle Obama’s Career Advice Is Actually Amazing — But Only If You Let It Change Your Perspective

The way we think about work is completely outdated

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Seven years ago, at 19, I got my first part-time job waiting tables.

I lasted a month before I got fired. It was the only time in my life I’ve had a job.

Since then, I’ve been side-hustling my way through life like there’s no tomorrow. Copywriting gigs, ghostwriting gigs, SEO stuff, self-publishing, reporting, blogging — you name it. If it has to do with freelance writing, I’ve probably done it.

I’m not proud of my career choices nor am I ashamed of them. Freelancing has been the norm for me since the beginning, and I don’t have anything to compare it to.

I do, however, notice a disturbing trend in how my philosophy towards work shaped up to be vastly different from peers who had chosen a more traditional path.

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The traditional way is to put all jobs into archaic categories and then expect them to make sense. I’m talking about labels like “writer,” “manager,” “director,” “salesman,” “businessman,”…