My first job was when I was 11. I was out with my parents, shopping for a Christmas tree on a November evening when a conversation with the owner of a Christmas tree lot led to a job offer.
I was offered $5 an hour under the table to sell, cut and load Christmas trees for the next month. I couldn’t have been more proud of my entry into adulthood and sudden bounty of disposable income.
I enjoyed the work, too, and was good at it. I liked helping people, they enjoyed having an innocent and enthusiastic child helping them. The bosses saw my competence and mostly retreated to their heated cars, allowing me run of the lot.
I was hooked on working at that point and continued to do so from then on. In my teenage years, I umpired baseball and softball matches.
I worked in a fast-food restaurant at age 15, slinging burgers and shakes, coated in grease and constantly burned. I learned there that I did not want to work in food service any more, and that I needed to get a college degree in something much more civilised.
I had a great time working in retail, as well as working as a receptionist in an office. Each job taught me important lessons, allowed me to have enough money to get what I needed and wanted.
As an adult, I’ve continued this pattern, even expanding on it. I’ve taught for 16 years now in classrooms all over the world. I’ve also worked various side hustles, from writing this column to starting a photography business, playing in bands and tutoring.
Basically, I’m no stranger to work in all its forms, but not every job was great. Some have been brutal slogs, some so bad they gave me panic attacks before going into work. This variety of employment made clear one principle of work – that it is a spectrum, and you want to be on one side much more than the other.
The highest form of work is self-actualising work, where you know you are doing good to the world and doing it in a way that matches your purpose in life
Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” is a common psychological principle stating that in order to reach our highest purpose, self-actualisation, where we are fulfilled and happy, we have to get through various stages.
It starts at physical needs such as food, shelter and clothing, without which we would die. Then it goes on to safety, social and several other steps until you get to the top.
Work is also like this. Sometimes we work jobs we hate simply because without them, we would not be able to clothe and feed our family.
The highest form of work, though, is self-actualising work. This is work where you know you are doing good to the world and doing it in a way that matches your purpose in life.
For me, that is teaching and being a positive force for children to help them learn and grow.
When I’m lucky, I’m at a great school where I’m allowed to do that at my highest level, and am supported by a culture that helps me to grow to be more effective or try new things.
This is where the principle of Ikigai comes into play. This is a popular Japanese idea that says to achieve the best life, you must find a career that helps the world, makes you happy and fulfilled and get paid for it.
I agree with this idea. When I feel most fulfilled, all three of these conditions are met. I feel like my life is going in a positive direction; that I have a purpose.
It's one of the reasons I started my blog, The Happiest Teacher, because teaching makes me truly happy.
In order to find your Ikigai, your self-actualised work, there is only one way that works. You have to try new things. If you don’t feel fulfilled in your current profession, you need to try another career.
You can do this with side hustles, by dipping your toes into new fields in your off hours, so that you can still fall back on your job until you can confirm you can replace your primary income with your new passion.
You can do this by having family support. But you also need to believe in your ability to learn new skills, make new contacts and create value for the world that they will pay for.
Don’t get stuck in jobs on the low end of the spectrum, where you’re working simply for survival. Find your self-actualised career, find your Ikigai.
Schoolteacher Zach Holz (@HappiestTeach) documents his journey towards financial independence on his personal finance blog The Happiest Teacher
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
THE CARD
2pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
2.30pm: Handicap Dh 76,000 (D) 1,400m
3pm: Handicap Dh 64,000 (D) 1,200m
3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m
4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m
4.30pm: Handicap 64,000 (D) 1,950m
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
match info
Manchester United 3 (Martial 7', 44', 74')
Sheffield United 0
More on animal trafficking
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Sri Lanka Test squad:
Dimuth Karunaratne (stand-in captain), Niroshan Dickwella (vice captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohamed Shiraz, Lakshan Sandakan and Lasith Embuldeniya.
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
