It’s summertime in the Washington, DC area and that means one thing: internship season is in full swing!  From Capitol Hill, to K Street, to Georgetown, to the suburbs, college students flock to find the jobs that could launch their careers and set them on a path to success.  Or at least provide enough beer money to make it through next semester!

This time of year brings back incredible memories of my first summer internship.  My brother set me as a “gofer” at his downtown law firm.  When I wasn’t picking up dry cleaning, couriering legal documents, or ordering lunch, I was master of the law library!

The library was isolated on a separate floor and my desk was tucked away in a remote section toward the back of the space.  It wasn’t much, but it was my little corner of the world.  I made sure all the books were put away, all the copies were made and all the files were in order.

But there were long stretches when there was literally nothing to do.  No associates visited, no orders were given and no one seemed to care about my lair on the orphan floor.  It got so quiet I could hear the buzzing of the florescent lights.  As the boredom overtook me, I needed some kind of creative outlet.  So I made a huge ball of colored rubber bands.  And an even bigger paper clip chain crafted from supply closet contraband.

One day, the managing partner came down to find me hard at work doing nothing at my desk.  He peered over my work of art and smirked:

“You know, Rob, there is more to life than making rubber band balls and paper clip chains.”

I wanted to tell him that there was also beer to drink.  But I held back.

I took a deep breath and truly contemplated his words. He was absolutely right.  Why was I waiting for instruction?  Why was I wasting so much time?  Why wasn’t I creating value?    Instead of taking control, I had chosen passivity and inaction.   And boredom and idleness were the natural by-products.

And isn’t that true in our work and personal lives?

We Have to Dictate the Action

In our work lives, we can’t sit back and wait for that breakthrough moment.  When will that e-mail come in?  When will the phone ring?  When will my boss recognize my talents and promote me?  When will the client sign the deal?  When will someone tell me what to do next?  When will someone offer me another job?  It’s not enough to want something to happen.  We have to dictate the action!

There is always busy work and necessary administrative tasks.  But we can’t tread water in that end of the pool for long.    Make the calls.  Proactively address client issues.  Ask for that promotion. Search for that new opportunity.   Create your own future.  Nobody is going to do it for us.  It doesn’t happen by staring at the walls.  Piecing together rubber band balls and paper clip chains is not a path to success.

The Time For Action is Now

The same is true in our personal lives.  How do we find meaningful relationships?  How do we overcome family strife?  How do we cultivate our hobbies and passions?  We can’t wait for someone else to admit they were wrong.   We can’t count on another person to make the first move.  We can’t dream about something and expect it to happen.  We have to go out and make it happen!

If we sit back and rely on someone else, we will likely be disappointed.  And that only leads to more bitterness and loneliness.  We hold the keys to solving our own problems.  And we can’t afford to waste any more time!

Resiliency is Born from Action

But what happens when we take the initiative and fall on our face?  We get flat-out rejected.  We make the wrong decision.  We lose the deal to a competitor.  We create chaos through our activity.  Dictating the action does not always lead to success and fortune.  We won’t always come out a winner.

But at least we are playing the game on our own terms.  And taking action will help us recover quickly in times of adversity.  We can’t be resilient sitting at a desk.  We can’t be resilient by curling into a ball.  We can’t be resilient through passivity and inaction.  Even the smallest action is a step towards resilience!

Let’s Go Make It Happen!

There is nothing wrong with relaxation and recovery.  In fact, it is both necessary and advantageous.  We can gain great perspective during these down times.   But we can’t stay passive forever.  We can’t live our lives making rubber band balls and paper clip chains.  Eventually, we have to take action. Eventually, we have to make it happen.

Life is not going to give us anything.  We have to go out and take it!