What Is Real?

As a writer and an entrepreneur,
I hear the word real a LOT.
When are you going back
to working a REAL job?
When are you writing
a REAL book?
When will you make
a REAL difference in the world?

These questions imply
that I’m doing the opposite,
that I’m busy working an IMAGINARY job,
writing my IMAGINARY books,
making an IMAGINARY difference in the world.

When the response is phrased like this,
even the people asking these questions
realize they’re being ridiculous.

Jonathan Bush,
CEO and Co-Founder of
athenahealth,
faced the same questions
when starting his business.
Advising his younger self,
he’d share

“That is a real thing,
I would tell myself.
Everyone says they need a real job,
but you can define
what is real and worthy.”

Everything you do is real.