Nobody Panic - How to Know What You Want to Do With Your Life (Live at 21Soho – Official Book Launch)

Episode Date: November 9, 2021

The book tour begins! Stevie and Tessa kick off the tour in London at 21Soho, with the ever so little and easily dealt with topic How to Work Out What You Want to Do With Your Life.Subscribe to the Nobody Panic Patreon at patreon.com/nobodypanicWant to support Nobody Panic? You can make a one-off donation at https://supporter.acast.com/nobodypanicRecorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.Photos by Marco Vittur, jingle by David Dobson.Follow Nobody Panic on Twitter @NobodyPanicPodSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/nobodypanic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, I'm Carriad. I'm Sarah. And we are the Weirdo's Book Club podcast. We are doing a very special live show as part of the London Podcast Festival. The date is Thursday, 11th of September. The time is 7pm and our special guest is the brilliant Alan Davies. Tickets from kingsplace.com. Single ladies, it's coming to London.

True on Saturday, the 13th of September. At the London Podcast Festival. The rumours are true. Saturday the 13th of September. At King's Place. Oh, that sounds like a date to me, Harriet. And welcome to Nobody Panic. Launch tour time.

We're in 21 Soho. Oh, Maggie. My name is Tessa. And today we are live. We are doing how to work out what you want to do with your life. Just a very chilled out episode that everyone's going to help us with. And before we do, we've got some adult things. Should we do the adult thing?

Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. Okay, right. We're going to pick them out of a sort of, well, I've got a jar. Tessa sort of throwing them on a cell. and we're all going to just enjoy. Checked on my student loan balance.

Okay. What's that? Amazing. Real mutterings of dissent for that one. Nobody liked that. Scheduled the central heating. And then they have written, Loll.

Got my boiler fix, but with a sad face emoji, so who's to say what happened here? Yeah, what happened there? But well done. I spent the weekend catching up on three weeks worth of washing and put it away. Yes. That's a fun weekend.

Oh, love this for you. I really hope this is someone who didn't understand the remit of the concept. Resented friends engagement. Yes, put it in my veins. Oh, this is a good one. Started seeing a therapist after listening to your how to go to therapy. Yes, baby. Yes, well done. Well done. There's also an epilogue. Yesterday had a breakthrough moment.

Come on. Good for you. I wasn't late to this show, congrats, and I washed my bin out today. I was the designated driver to go for a pub lunch in the country for a friend's birthday. I offered to do it. I went into the office one day this month,

and it was just me and the CEO. This is a fancy one. Did a Whole Foods shop. Don't worry about him. This one feels layered. This week, I bought my friend a gift for her promotion at work. you added the layers this week I bought a gift

for my friend who got a promotion it's impossible I'm sorry it can't be done so much blinking in your layers okay instead of crying about

my broken Mac book I called my insurance company miraculously in capitals it was fucking covered yes I didn't pop the biblical spot on my chin oh

patience is key thank you Gandhi for that. I like this one. It's just very simple. I bought a dehumidifier. I used a drill for the first time in my life. Had to drill four holes

to only use two. But the mirror is up. Yes. I booked an electrician after I overflowed the bath. No, you need a plumber. To the light switches below. Without

waiting to electrocute myself. Okay, yep. Glad you're here. Glad you're here. Nearly quit my job after crying at work twice. And we'll do it tomorrow. That's a really good one. Ait and didn't hate it.

Thank you to the warm up act for really setting the scene. Not Safe for Work, NSFW. I've had sex with a different person each night this week. And it says in capital letters, didn't feel bad about it. Woo! That's really hot. Yes.

Okay. Right, let's get into the episode. So we're going to be doing today how to work out what you want to do with your life. Because, well, I was going to say for a big reason, but if you haven't done it before and it's quite a nice thing to do. It's a nice one.

It's a nice one to do. Tessa, did you know what you wanted to do with your life from the start when you were born? When you wanted to do? No, like, did you know, when did you sort of figure out what you wanted to do? Well, I didn't know when I was born because podcasting didn't exist. And I suppose, no, my theory is that there are two types of people.

Those that have absolutely no idea and they are just desperate for anybody to tell them and they're like magic eight ball people and they are perhaps tarot and they will walk in off the street for a lady to tell them what they're supposed to do. They're just like desperate for someone else to know the answer. Oh, as in that was part of the tarot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, you go and say, like, what am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to be doing with my career? Yes.

Please, please, please, please. So hysterical energy people. Hysterical energy of like, what am I? And then there's the other type of people who are people who know what they are, but they are too scared to do it or it's not a real thing or it's, but they know. I think there are also people who are like, oh, you know, okay, but who are like, oh, they, from almost birth were like, I'm going to be an accountant or I'm going to be an architect

or I'm going to drive a bus and then sort of then feel because obviously now more and more people change careers so then that is also basically I'm talking about myself I've always wanted to be an architect You must

I haven't no so I always want to be like a writer and it was like I'm going to be a journalist and I'm a journalist and then when I did it I was like I don't like it and I'm like well now what do I the circus like I don't know what to do it and that's quite destabilising as well and also people that I think

are told what they want to do or socialise what they want to do from people around them at uni or school or whatever and then have never actually thought like oh shit like what do I want because you don't really sit around very often just being like hey what do I want like you don't it's not no it's not well yeah it should be more it should be I don't know I was remember being so jealous at school of people when we're like in year nine who were like I'm going to be a doctor so if you're going to be a doctor it meant like these were your GCSEs this what you need to do for a level this is what you need to do at university it was like da da da da da da and I was like I don't know

I've no idea and it felt very destabilizing because it was constantly constantly like, you know, you've got a nose. Also, I went to a school in which they gave us a talk in year 10. It was like, if you don't get straight A's at GCSE, doors start to close. I got the doors start to close. You, doors start to close. Oh, what?

Do you know what I mean? Which doors? Yeah, on the doors I just came through. Who gives a shit? Doors start to close. Yes, and also, I was supposed to say, I don't know if this still happens, but I'm sure it does. You have to, like, pick your subjects at, like, year nine,

when you're, like, 13. And there's so much given on, they're like, will you do history or geography? You're like, I don't know! What do I come on at an Oxbow Lake? All the Queen! Nazi Germany. Thank you. Someone chose geography, obviously.

Actually, I chose history, so I did very badly. They shouldn't make us, everybody should be allowed to do everything. You shouldn't have to be made to pick in beside if you're a history or geography person or if they're like, oh, sorry, it's the sciences or the arts. You can't be both. Exactly. Why not?

Well, because also then you start being like, like, oh yeah, I should, it starts to, what's the word, like, make you feel like you should know. And when you're 13, you feel like 25 anyway. You're like, I'm grown up. And then, but would you now let like a 13 year old dictate what you did? No, you wouldn't. You don't know anything when you're 13. It blows my mind.

It blows my mind that we were just like allowed out as 13 year old girls. Like, lock them up. Lock them up. Like, yeah. You're so vulnerable. your mind's like a sponge you don't know you're just saying a barrel of lies like all the time it's hard enough

at that point it's where you're like growing boobs and just like your body's exploding it's like go in the tower and don't come out for like years covered in hair like what's going on? Oh yeah it gives a shit about maths we've got hair here

but also like the stuff you're doing it sounds like we're coming out really hard on the education system but like the stuff that you're taught at school we got back into poetry but as an adult That's not true It's not true

You've never shared this with me That's not true I just have a scene A poem I didn't mind Okay You know what? I have as well

Yeah I bought a print of a poem the other day Did you? I was going to say the other day It was two years ago But like I really was I haven't put it up yet

But I love it I bought a frame for it It didn't fit But I've tried That's the thing. And then, so what's the point of teaching poetry to teenagers? They haven't lived? You haven't done anything?

We had to do this bloody thing called the train from Rhodesia, which was about a divorce. It was about a woman who'd married the wrong man, and then he buys this little wooden lion. But it's the wrong lion. What? That's the train bit. They're on the train.

Oh, that's there we go. Duh. It's taking place on the train, and this is all happening as she's having these, like, big thoughts. and then he buys this lion but for too cheap and then she does it's like

and I'm 13 you're like I don't fucking know and then now I'm breathless Now you're like Of course the lion was too cheap And he should have paid more for it It's just like don't buy Anyway so you put all this pressure on you

When you're too young You don't know anything You're making all these massive choices about what you're supposed to do And also life feels incredibly long And so you're like I've got all this time to do all this stuff and then you actually hit your, you leave, you know, at the school

or you leave wherever, and you hit your stride and suddenly you're like, oh my fucking God, now what? Now what? Or you then switch over into, I've switched seamlessly, I don't know what age it was. I think it was like 16, where I was like, I'm now too old. I'm too old to have the career I wanted. It's the end. And like, 16 is a stretch, but it was maybe 22.

I was like, I will never. I have so many, I know people, I know so many people who are like early twents who are like, oh, good. But can I do that? You're like, what do you mean? Can you do that? Yes, of course. You can do that.

You can try that for a bit. And then you could change. I found an interesting stat. Stop it. Please. What? Maybe I did. I don't know.

Did I? The lights are so bright that I was looking straight in them. I can't actually read anything. I'll cover this very perfectly. It's not very interesting. The stat I found. Oh, well, in Downton Abbey. Yeah, that is better actually.

The one's bullshit while I've written down. They get, no, I'm covering for you. Oh, no, basically. No, I'm not finished. I'm saying about downtown abbey. They get electrical lights for the first time. And, oh, fans. Everybody knows the episode.

No, I think they were just confused. Maggie Smith hates it, obviously. And she comes in and she goes, oh, God, it's like being on stage at the Donmar, like this. And then every time I see a bright light, I say, it's like being on stage at the Donmar. And nobody knows why. Thank you.

That's it. Don't! You will only encourage me. You mustn't do that. No, I think that's good. And I don't... Obviously, I'm not reading out a stat after that. Please.

I get a standing ovation. I go, 50% of Britain is expected to make a career change within the next two years, actually. So career changes are much more common these days. So it's actually okay. Also, I was sat like this, and my dress was above my knickleine. So I've had my vagina out for the entire time. Right, anyway, that was fine.

Okay. Energy's coming back down and then... Sorry, half of Britons. I'd like to know. It's boring. But it used to be, basically, nobody did. You had your career, your whole life. And that's, you know, often people's parents of around our age will maybe have that too.

So you are blueprinting on your parents. You go, like, you know, that's why everyone freaks out. Not everyone, but that's why I freak. out when I turned 30. So I was like, well, my mom was 30. I was coming out of her. Nothing's coming out here, etc. If it was, people would be able to see, am I right?

Woo! Straight into the tights. But now, yeah, basically half of people in Britain will expect to make a career change in the next two years. And that is like across all age groups. And I think it's something that when you are younger, I've gone boring, but fine. Not boring, important.

You've got to do it, haven't they? You've just talked about Down Abbey for the whole episode. It's important. I'm pushing it forward. Yes, but also when you're younger, you, that kind of feeling of being like, I must know, I must know, continues until then it seamlessly sometimes switches over to it. Now I'm too old. So there's not really a point where you're like, I know, and it's cool. I'm just going, I am. It does exactly what happens.

You're like, oh my God, I'm going, and then, sure, nothing. Well, I'm here now. Death. So where was the window? Death. Yeah. Where was the window of time that you were like, oh, it's like so chill, I'm job hunting and I know what I want to do and it's fine. There isn't because you always look at, well, I'm, again, me, always looking like sideways and.

make like, well, that person's doing this and they've got like, they've bought a flat and like they've got this. How are they doing that? And then I, you know, you often, um, the worst thing is, is not trusting your own, um, instincts of what you want to do. So being like, oh, that's stupid. Or like, that's not a real job. Or like, if I did that, I don't want to do that for the rest of my life. But it's so, so what, uh, I find or I have found very helpful is in those instances, looking at people, examples of people who have changed career or started their big career

and become incredibly successful really late on. I always go to Brian Cranston immediately. He's not doing anything that I want to do, but I'm just like, isn't it nice? It's like if it's like 38 or like maybe older, I've obviously not read anything specifically about it. But can you fill? Because I'm going to find that chapter in the book.

Season 4, episode 2 of Downton Abbey. We open on a crystal clear leg No, we Lady Edith, of course, pregnant But with the chauffeur's baby They flee to Dublin Oh my God, I will tell you this I went to pick up the books

This is, I swear to God, only a couple of them But I was like, oh my God, here it is, opened it I don't know if you can see that, it's upside down It's upside down So just so you know some of the, I know a lot of you have followed the Instagram journey, some of the collected in the hail car boot versions will be upside down. These are retailing for 150 pounds each, the upside down versions.

Have you found it? No, it's not in the chapter. We thought it was. I've gone very hot. I found it very helpful to read about or look up or think about people who have changed their careers late on because it makes you feel, and by late on, that is obviously. an incredibly subjective thing. I just mean later than me specifically. But also later than the

like Forbes is like 30 under 30. 30 to 30. Can literally go fuck itself? What? I don't know where that came from. Honest to God, if either of us had been in the 30 under 30, we'd be like you know, and as Forbes said you know, it's... And also, also it's meaningless.

I mean, it's just silly, it's silly, isn't it? But we were in the group. I've got a tattoo of it on my butt. But since we weren't, fuck it. Fuck it. And fuck everyone. So we're just going to read out. Some, well actually I don't need to read the first one out. My mum, she went to university at 40 and became an award-winning

an interior designer. Fucking great. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah, she's also in, but I won't embarrass her. Okay, so you got Kate Atkinson, wrote her first novel when she was 43. That's pretty cool. Yeah? Vera Wang didn't enter the fashion industry until she was 40 and is now worth 400 million. I didn't know that. I mean, obviously, I wrote the book.

We've just finished doing the audiobook, and the amount of time Stevie said something and then went, Wow, didn't know. No, oh no, the worst one was like, oh, that is fucking funny. And she was like, you wrote that. You wrote that. Donald Fisher opened the first Gap store

with his wife, Doris, when he was 40. Alan Rickman quit a successful graphic design career in his mid-20s to become an actor and didn't get his brig break until he was 42. Robin Chase founded Zipcar, which was 52 pounds. That I find unbelievable. You did actually write that one. way I didn't know. I don't know who Robin Chase is. I thought you were talking about Robin Thick. Who wrote this book? I thought you were talking about Robin Thick and I thought we're not we're not putting Robin Thick in this book mate. I didn't write that. Okay. Right. Let's go to Colonel Sanders. Right. We've claimed that Robin Chase wrote

founded Zipcar with 52 pounds, unfact checked, age 42 and is now obviously rolling in it we've written because we obviously didn't check. Ariana Huffington started the Huffington Post when she was 50 Julia Child worked in advertising and then wrote a cookbook at 49 which turned her into a super famous celebrity chef Colonel Sanders 62 when he first franchised KFC

Arwin was a 2,700-year-old woman when she married Aragorn, a 30-year-old man Edward Cullen 107 when he married Bella Swan A 17-year-old girl Oh, bad actually Noah was 954 when he transitioned away from carpentry for the first time

and built his first arc. It worked, it worked, it worked. Dracula was 489 when he left Transylvania for the first time and sailed to Whitby to attempt world domination. It's lovely and it's inspiring. Good for Dracula, I say. Yeah, absolutely.

What if you literally just don't know what you want to do at all? And there's all this of like, just do what you want, babe, just actually really think about it, sit down, you know, roll some dice, look at some tarot. We're like, no, I actually don't know. So one of the things that we've been talking about a lot is how you can, obviously before I was like, would you want you as a kid ruling your life? No, because you'd be a mess.

But if you really don't know what you want to do, it is quite a good idea sometimes to look at what you did naturally as a child. Like, I mean, relevant things, not like, I don't know, at soil. Although, botanist? Is it botanist? Does a botanist eat soil? Could be. Maybe. But yes, looking at the things that you were like naturally drawn to.

Because obviously some of those things, you know, if you wanted to be like an Olympic ice skater or something, or you want to, you've got the Olympic gymnast dreams. Yes, yes, I do. And that's fine for her. Yes, I do, Stevie. Yes. But sometimes they're maybe not realistic.

Not for you, but for others. Paris, 2024. Me and those two very young twins will be the British gymnastic team. She's got a very big bun. Everyone following the gymnastics? Okay. Very big bun? There's two twins.

Again, this is so specific. They've got incredibly high. Like, I just want to be part of their team. I think all gymnasts are very high bums. No, not like this. Not like this. It's almost like a forward-facing back. It's like a unicorn.

It's like it's here. It's like a switch on the face. Anyway, they're very talented and good for them. But you wait till. Yes. To which I'll say. Say if you are like, maybe I can't do that. know why you'd think that.

You can still incorporate that thing into your life. So like, maybe you can't be an Olympic ice skater, but you could like start ice skating lessons. And I think one of the things of kind of feeling like, well, what I want to do is I physically can't do it. And also, you know, I

maybe couldn't turn it into a career. If you even take a step towards it, that would still have loved, like it would still radiate out. That kind of like, what's the word, proactive, creative outlook on your life will have positive impact elsewhere, I think. A hundred percent. And I think like, when we say, like, don't listen to you as a teenager,

because you were whack. Wack and hairy. Wack and hairy. But do listen to you when you were, like, under six, because, like, that was, like, you were a philosopher. Yeah. But, like, that was the purest, like, most confident, like, best version of you before you had anyone else's opinions in there or anybody else's ideas, you tried to impress anyone. You were just, like,

you were six. So it's like, what were you doing? I used to walk around and go, look, and then pull my pants down. and take a picture of my own ass. And look at me now. Look at her now. I guess the truth, the kernel of truth we can take from that is, look, look at me and my butthole.

And if that's not comedy, with my vajal. What is? You know, for me, it's like endlessly like writing stories in the garden and insisting everyone came to look at a play I'd put on. Again, it's like, look at me.

Look at me, look at me. And so is it like, if you, you know, there are friends of mine who are teachers, who just were always wanting to deal with their younger siblings, or are you always, like, wrapping up your animals, your pets? Animal sheather? An animal vet. An animal vet, of course.

Are you always bandaging everyone up? Should you be a doctor? Should you be a nurse? Should you be a baker? You know? Like, do you, as well, I found when you look back at, like, stopgap jobs you've had that maybe didn't love, there might be elements of it that you did.

So, for example, I know, can't work in customer service. in a way you can like see things as like crossing things off and I think that's something that we don't look at with careers we go oh what do you want to do but actually trying things out does help you to go I don't want to do that like okay so and you kind of constantly honing

what you want to do until maybe you do reach a point where you're like oh this is finally this is it yeah and I think that's what that process never stops does it like and I think this is a horrible thing that it stops at 30 it's like a musical chairs thing and everyone sits down and I don't know how musical chairs works.

And then they get back up and then they get a job. Maybe musical chairs is the perfect analogy. It's like you sit down and then the music starts again and you try a different chair. Is this a better chair? Yes, because actual real life is

no one takes a chair away. Obviously the actual process of changing careers is very difficult but that's not what this is about. This is about figuring out what you want to do and then at least when you know you can take steps, reasonable steps towards it rather than just that horrible feeling

which is so gross, which I've definitely had, where I've been like, I should like this and I should be happier, but in all areas it's quite clear I'm not very happy. And then you can kind of go like, oh, maybe I'm just, maybe I'm just shit at being happy, or maybe I'm just like sad personally.

Like, no, it's, if you, like when I had a job, job, like a normal job, and I hated going into the office. And the office was really cool. And I liked everyone I worked with and I, like, hypothetic. It's like the Love Island great on paper thing. It's like the job was great on paper, but I, like, was arriving in later and later,

And later and being like, and my boss at one point was like, you just look sad all the time. And I was like, oh, I should leave. But then you don't know what to do. Like, it was very hard to then figure out what I wanted to do because I knew, but I was too frightened. So then I think the practical things, we've done other episodes about how to change career. And I think it's all about, you know, putting things in place. And it's very an individual thing. But actually the hardest bit is actually just figuring out what you want in your own brain,

which should be the easy bit. But we're so bad at knowing what we want. always. We're terrible at it and also we're so good at being like oh I guess I guess this. My very first ever working, my first internship we got paid nothing. I was just saying

how much was it? I was like oh I remember nothing and you got paid your travel but only if you like sent in your receipt with it like underlined and you could only get the one oh it was not a good place but and I was very very sad there it was a film production company and I didn't know what the hell I was doing and everyone I turned

turns out the interns were a tax write-off so they didn't give a shit what we got up to they just made money for um as being there and um everyone was so sad there i was like oh this is what adult life is i guess you everyone's just really sad and then one day i and also i was absolutely like goody two shoes i just wanted to be you know pleasure to teach i wanted to please everyone and um they said please can you go and um clear up the um meeting room or whatever there was a party last night and up i went and was like, of course. B, but, bu, bu, up I go, tidy everything away. What a good girl.

Make everything neat. Put everything to side. Oh, gosh, what are all these bags? Little tiny little bags. What are they? Oh, well, there's cigarettes. So maybe they're connected. Pop all these little bags in the cigarette things.

Put everything in the bin. And well done me. And then a couple of hours later, so they came and found me. And they were like, hey, hey. Oh, kid. Were there any tiny little bags? and I was like, you betcha they're in the bin

and they were like oh, that was the bus's cocaine and I was like oh no and I was like okay do you want me to they're in the skip outside I was like

do you want me to try and find them and they were like yeah he could just buy more I don't know how to buy cocaine he could be CEO or she

I was obviously a man Honestly, I was... I would never say you should buy more cocaine. I know you can't do that. I thought your idea was like, buy more me. I can't do that either. I mean, I didn't have enough money to eat anything, so I didn't have any money for cocaine,

but also the thought of someone saying... The thought of someone saying to me now, could you find some cocaine? I'd be like, uh-huh. I'd be just inso hoping, like, anybody got any gold, old Charlie Joe for the lady. Please. 60 pounds for a lick.

That's what I've heard. You know, like I... Anyway, as I was stood in the skip, looking for it, I was like, I can see myself now. And that was the moment, I was like, enough, enough. There must be more. There must be more. You must have skills. You must be worth something to somebody more than being in this skip.

And I climbed out of the skip and I handed in my notice, they didn't give one shit. And then I was like, okay, something else. We're not doing this anymore. You don't have to be sad as a grown-up every day Like that's not part of it But you have this idea that you're like Oh I must just do them numbers every day Like you know you can be happy

You can do a job And you can also be like Oh somebody thinks that you're talented And good in your specific one area That's spark in you And I think especially this like last couple of years With all being through everybody's spark Has definitely like dwindled out

But like you can definitely get that back And again I after the skip I was a runner for a really long time And then on one On a film set not like a professional runner I just want to make it very clear Just, just forest gumping it across the country. Just got out that skip and just set off for Cornwall.

I was a runner on a film set for a really long time, on lots of different productions, made commercials, very, very bad at my job. You were good at your job. Okay, no. I was bad. And I was bad at it. And I was there, and I was a lot of fun,

but I wasn't any good at it. Anyway, once I was, this other boy was a runner, and they were changing the led of it. is on the camera and then he was like, oh my fucking God, they're using a VX7 and I was like, yeah, cool man. And then I was like, what's that? And he was like, they're using the lens on that special camera and that's how they shoot like Jane's Bond.

And so it's going to like do this thing with it. I'm making it up because I literally don't know. And he knew all this stuff about the camera and his body was like, he was like this. And then I was like, okay, not this, not this. If this is how somebody feels about this job, if that is the level that someone can feel this, oh my god it's the vx 7 i was like i want the vx 7 i want your own personal you've got to find your own

personal vx 7 until and and when you see other people feeling that level you're like oh okay somebody can feel it so therefore there must be a thing out there for me that makes me feel like that exactly and also more um not that that was perfect and amazing but also even on like um it was it was but even at like a different level um when i was a waitress and hated it there was another waiter who was like constantly asking loads of questions about like the food and he was so interested in like how the restaurant was running like learning and I was obviously just like I would like to pay my rent and it's the same thing so in literally any job there's even a job that you know you really don't even because that's a good glam job you know like well being a runner but any job that's the thing when you when you are in because it's like so hard to get in even to be a runner it's so hard to get in even to be a run a film production it's hard to like it's hard to do anything

be like a really good hairdresser with an amazing salon. Like it's hard to do literally anything well. And so when you get through the door, you think like, oh my fuck, this is it. This is I thought what I wanted. And then when it's like, oh my God, I don't. You feel so like, oh, no. I've come all the way through the door, but you can go backwards or sideways or home. You can go home.

You can go just home. You don't have to be like, oh, no. And like, you know, being in the restaurant and being like, oh, I don't like being in the kitchen. Like, it could be like, oh, I don't like being in the kitchen, but I do love being at the front. or I do love being behind the bar by or I want to run the man I want to be the manager, I want to work in this. Or you just go like me, I don't want to work anywhere near a restaurant

and that's really good because you can do it. Then I know. Then I'm like, great. And I had the same thing with journalism. I worked with this wonderful journalist called Sophie who just loved she just fucking loved finding shit out whereas I'd be like, I don't want to do any research. I'll just sort of, like I never did any of the actual work.

And I think it's so, it's so nice. Yeah, to that point of just being like, everyone has their own VCR. Everyone has their own VCR. And you think, oh, nobody must like this job, but there are people who love it. And I, yeah, I once wrote an article for somebody, and it was about phone repair. And she was like, you've got to go interview a phone repairist. And I just, the thought of, like, interviewing somebody.

I was so embarrassed the idea of, like, calling somebody up and asking them just out of the blue. And so I just wrote, I just made it up and just like. What? You didn't interview them? Yeah, I made it up. Okay. And I, and then sometimes later she was. like you made this up right and I was like no way and then and then it's illegal

oh yeah it's not a good thing to do and then um she'd written she wrote she was like right well who was this person and then I wrote I mean I was joking but I wrote her better boats phone repair is to the stars and she was like you cannot work here anymore like you might you have I think I know the person that you're talking about that you did that because I think they've also told me that I've been like... Yeah, I thought I did like it, because it sounds unrealistic, but you did do that. I did do it, yeah,

but also as well, another thing is if you still, if you, okay, you're like really thinking and you're like, okay, I'm really, still don't know. One very helpful, I think it's often seen as a very negative emotion, but it's actually quite a positive one, if you approach you well, is jealousy. So if someone is doing something and you're like,

like, oh yeah. Then you could, then you can look, like, it might not be directly like, oh, I want to do that exact thing but you might want to be there might be elements of that that you're like oh cool or like I don't know it shows it can steer you and I think often people

talk about jealousy in this horrible way of just like oh it turns me into like a piece of shit but actually that yes it does for a bit and then afterwards it does for a bit and then I was going to rhyme it but I can't I'm not a poet I just saw that poem once back on I believe you no I really wouldn't

but yes yeah so that that is also quite a nice still like envy and like jealousy because there's a reason why you kind of get that gut-wrenching feeling. It's because something in that is where you want to be, but you feel like you can't. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think I've mostly got jealous very recently of all the Love Island stars on Instagram

because they've got, they've got so much Louis Vuitton. And they... I don't get just that at all. That's because I don't want that. I don't want Louis Vuitton either, but we had an... Okay. Yeah, and then I had to... Steve had to coach me through unfollowing everyone.

Yes. And then I became... Press and follow. I became the balloonish. issue today I became absolutely psychotic about wanting all these balloons. Yes, influencer-style balloons. I kept saying, but the influencers have got balloons. Stevie was like, I don't think we need them.

And also, that's the layer down from that is like, maybe. It's like their lifestyle or like, I don't know, because that's not you going like, I want to take an Instagram picture with a balloon in it. Like, that's not your dream. No, sorry, I've derailed. That's not helpful. No, it's helpful, but I'm saying like, no, it is helpful because it's like any of that stuff. It's not just what you want to do with your life job-wise.

It's what you want your life to look like. like as well and a lot of people when they graduate well when we graduated and a lot of all of the english lit people were just like just went into graduate schemes with like the big four law firms or i don't know if it's called big four law firms but whatever like deloitte you know which i called delawit until i was 27 i don't think it's law i just i'm coming i'm going to pop down in the ignorance hole with you no don't can i yes to say when my university boyfriend broke up with me it's because he was off to do the law conversion course and they'd said to him,

this is going to be really serious, so put your social lives on hold and break up with your girlfriends. So he did. What? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then he just relayed that to me. I was like, Deloitte told me to do it.

Deloit told me to do it. But he was very driven and he really, really, really wanted to be a lawyer. I think he's very driven. He's like, you have to break with your girlfriend. I'm very passionate about that, sorry. I think if I may, he wanted to break up with me. anyway.

Yes, sorry, that's possibly I... Yes, yes, yes. I think... I don't think he was like, my great love, well... Law, I suppose, you know.

I think he was like, finally a fucking excuse. Get rid of this bitch. Anyway, no, it's an all right lad. And good for him. Anyway, no, he was very passionate, he was very driven,

he really wanted to do the law stuff and he had this big, exciting law conversion course he wanted to do and blah, blah, blah. Anyway, and I was like, why are you taking this so seriously? I don't think we need to break up, et cetera, et cetera. And he was like, listen, you don't understand. Like, if I do this course and I get on one of the massive, you know, big law firms,

and then from there, like, you know, in a couple of years, like, I could be in the magic circle. Like, what, like magicians? Like the magic one. The law, the Big Five law, call themselves the fucking magic circle. I didn't know that. So I was being broken up with and then was like, sorry, and you'll be a magician. Yeah, genuinely.

Yeah. And how will the law play into the magician? You know? I just was like, what a thing to call it, the magic circle, the coolest thing in the world, and you call it your wanky law group. Anyway, sorry. But at that point, it is the most exciting thing in the world

because you're like, I want to be an adult, I want to be an adult, I want to be an adult. But the thing is, for some people, we're being dismissed for it, but truly for some people, it is. It is. It is. It truly is.

There's some magicians it is. It's, that's it. They call it the magic circle because for them, it's magic. And, like, you don't have. have to be like, oh, okay, I guess I should. It's his VCR. It's his VCR. And it's like, everybody has allowed their own one. And that's why the world works, because like, there is a man,

oh my God, I just watched Autumn Watch. Anyway, there's these people called the, they were called the winger, the wingtipped waders, or some shit. And they go out at the crack of dawn, and they hide in the bushes, and they throw a net over these waders. It sort of explodes up from the sand, nobody's hurt, it's all fine.

And then they take these little waders, which are these little tiny birds and they put a little tag on them all very safe and then they check their migration and where they're going and I was like I can't think of I mean I'd go for one day but I was like that what? And then I saw them and I was like that's their VR 7 like they

their hearts are beating for bird conservation you know like they want to put those tags on those waiters and I was like so you might think that job is the shittest looking job in the world but somebody else truly truly loves it and so you just have to keep going until you're like oh la la la oh my god

this is my thing. Oh my God, they're using that camera. Oh my God, that's a wader. Oh my God, the magic circle. It feels like the wader is yours. You've been like, absolutely taken off. The waders! I think it's time.

I don't, I don't care, but I was so glad that they did. You care for them. Well, there's nothing nicer, always say it. There's nothing nicer than speaking to somebody who just fucking loves their job. Because no matter how boring that job is to you, it's always so interesting. But as well, one of the ways that you can help yourself to like find your V-7, V-O-5. No one knows. The thing is, I made it up at the beginning and now we've forgotten.

Now we've gotten it. fine. One of the things, because I always think about your friend Kat, who like, worked in money? She's the forensic accountant, whose clothes I put on. There we go, forensic accountant. Same, same.

But now, she's a detective. Amazing. Amazing. And what I find great about that is, like, that's one of those jobs that you go, like, ha-ha, detective, that'll be fun. And then you don't actually ever think about it again. But actually, it takes,

what I'm trying to say is, it's when you find the thing that you want to do, then the next hard stage is actually, like, it's actually, like, taking steps towards doing it. Because he was like, oh, I could never. But actually, like, look it up. Research how you would, what courses you need to do. And start to make it as real as possible,

even if you're not actually doing it and sort of be able to visualize what it would look like to maybe. And I think as well, dealing with it in like a sort of like a fun day dream way, like, okay, so say I want to be a detective, fun. Like how would I... So silly, but I'm not going to, but say if I did. And then suddenly you've got your spyglass, you know? That's famously.

But suddenly you're hunting down the chicks. I don't know, whatever they do. Oh, doing paperwork, apparently, is what Cass said. Yeah, and then you're doing Adam. You do have to, you know, you get there and you're like, and then she has, like, exactly what we're saying, got there and been like, oh, my fucking God, I hate this part of it, but.

This part's great. Yes. Okay, this. You know, and when you get there, you're like, okay, it turns out, I hate this. And it's not like, oh my God, just quit. Just do it. You're like, no, stay in the game.

Sidestep. Okay, it's this. But keeping it separate from reality is. kind of helpful if you're frightened to move into there. And then that will kind of like, yeah. I just think like if you do, because it's so precious to know, because so many, so few people know, or if they, or if they, even when they're running around being like,

oh my God, I don't know, I don't know. It's somewhere so deep in them that they don't have access to it. So if you know what an unbelievably like precious gift that is, and so if you'd be like, oh, I'm too scared or I can't or I, you know, I need this money for, you know, it's like, you have one life. You must, you must. You must do it. ones as well. You might have like multiple lives.

Low V6s. I was like that would be such a left term from you at this point in this. Goodbye. It was said so confidently and seriously. No, I meant multiple VS. 7s beasts and... Oh right, yeah, yeah, yeah. At different points in your life, who used to say that like people who are love of that time of your life are not,

this is not the job that's just the love of this time of your life. Yes, we all change and we're all very cyclical as people. And crucially, we will all live again. And we will die. I hope that was very helpful for everyone listening and the pace of which we were speaking wasn't too quick but yeah, is there anything else any parting quotes from Gandalf you'd like to?

Normally there is. The ring comes, not to those who ask, but to those who say, is that a ring? What a great place to end. Yes, please, yes, please. Very good, very good. But yeah, go to Brighton. We're going to Leighton.

We're going to Leeds, we're going to Manchester, we're going to Bristol. Go to plosive.com. UK for tickets. Also, follow us at NobodyopanicPod. Buy our fucking book, mate. If you can. If you may. Not to worry if not.

No, please do buy it. The audiobook's a lot of fun. Yeah, we'll buy the audiobook if you don't like to read. This, the limited edition, wet, upside down copies, of course. And one. 150 pounds. We should do a raffle at some point.

I don't know. Then that's the prize. Oh, my God. So I emailed Black and Decker, and I was like, listen, we're going on a tour, give us a drill. They said, no. They replied. Yeah, they replied. That is a surprise.

They said, we're actually quite busy. Good luck with your project. Fuck you, Black and, yeah, good luck with your project. It might have been an automatic reply. And the project might have been DIY. It was like, good luck with you, whatever you're doing. We can't reply to this account. But fuck you, Black and Decker.

So my hope is that by the end of the tour, by Bristol, we've got a Bosch drill. And a Bosch fridge? We've got Bosch just everything. If you're listening, Bosch, please. Yeah, and thank you so much and thank you so much for listening. We'll be back. We'll be back next week. We'll be back next week.

Thank you so much. 21, Soho, you've been amazing. Thank you, thank you.