To All Harry Potter Fans

No, this is neither a trailer of the next movie nor an announcement of an upcoming instalment of the Harry Potter Series but I can tell you that this is better than those.

Stumbled upon this extraordinary speech given by J.K. Rowling at a Harvard Commencement last 2008 a moment ago. Stop for a few minutes, push the play button and be inspired! But if you’re a Harry Potter fan, I think I will never have to use the word extraordinary and the name JK Rowling in one sentence for me to hook you up on watching this video. After all, you already know it for a fact and you might have actually thought that I was being redundant and superfluous for saying that. Duh? I know, I know, but in my defense, I do think that redundancy is not actually a bad thing especially if it is utilized for an added impact as far as English grammar is concerned; it only becomes bad when you are already unknowingly using it as a one word description of what your life is all about and you’re just fine with it. Anyway, I am an avid fan too, you know and I could not stop praising how brilliant she is!

You can find the full transcript of her speech here, just in case you want to indulge yourself more.

I just found a fragment from an article that really struck me. The title of the article is What Should I Do With My Life written by Po Bronson for Fast Company.

“There are far too many smart, educated, talented people operating at quarter speed, unsure of their place in the world, contributing far too little to the productive engine of modern civilization. There are far too many people who look like they have their act together but have yet to make an impact. You know who you are. It comes down to a simple gut check: You either love what you do or you don't. Period.

Those who are lit by that passion are the object of envy among their peers and the subject of intense curiosity. They are the source of good ideas. They make the extra effort. They demonstrate the commitment. They are the ones who, day by day, will rescue this drifting ship. And they will be rewarded. With money, sure, and responsibility, undoubtedly. But with something even better too: the kind of satisfaction that comes with knowing your place in the world. We are sitting on a huge potential boom in productivity -- if we could just get the square pegs out of the round holes.

Of course, addressing the question, What should I do with my life? isn't just a productivity issue: It's a moral imperative. It's how we hold ourselves accountable to the opportunity we're given. Most of us are blessed with the ultimate privilege: We get to be true to our individual nature. Our economy is so vast that we don't have to grind it out forever at jobs we hate. For the most part, we get to choose. That choice isn't about a career search so much as an identity quest. Asking The Question aspires to end the conflict between who you are and what you do. There is nothing more brave than filtering out the chatter that tells you to be someone you're not. There is nothing more genuine than breaking away from the chorus to learn the sound of your own voice. Asking The Question is nothing short of an act of courage: It requires a level of commitment and clarity that is almost foreign to our working lives."