Do You Ever Wish You Could Hire a Boss?
Assay: I'm not a huge fan of Andy Warhol's visual art, but I'm a devoted fan of his writing. (Sidenote: it's striking how many visual artists are brilliant writers, for instance, I love Eugene Delacroix's Journal and Edward Weston's Daybooks).
What interests me about Andy Warhol is that he makes seemingly obvious observations in very simple language-and yet, upon reflection, I often realize that he has managed to articulate something very subtle. As one of my Secrets of Adulthood holds: It's very important, and surprisingly difficult, to grasp the obvious.
For instance, I read this passage from The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: (From A to B and Back Again) several weeks ago, and while it didn't particularly grab my attention while I was reading it, I find my thoughts repeatedly returning to it. The more I think about this observation, the more profound it becomes.
Andy Warhol wrote:
When I think about what sort of person I would most like to have on a retainer, I think it would be a boss. A boss who could tell me what to do, because that makes everything easy when you're working.
That's it, I keep thinking. That's it! I wish I could have a boss on retainer. (Note Warhol's nuance of having a boss "on retainer.")
As the boss of myself, I often wish I had someone to set my priorities, to give me assignments to start and finish, and to tell me how to improve-or better yet, to give me some gold stars.
Telling myself what to do, and then doing what I have to do…it's challenging. Self-command isn't easy. How about you? Do you ever wish you had a boss on retainer? Even if you already have a permanent, real boss.
* If you're interested in writing, check out the blog Jeff Goins Writer. Lots to read and think about there.
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