I know a lot of people who simply cant hold down conventional jobs.

Ok, many are artists of one sort or another; painters, actors, designers, writers, and speakers.

To them, a typical nine-to-five gig looks like a set from Dawn of The Dead. Actually, its worse, because theres at least some excitement, some mystery, some juiciness in a setting where the undead feed on the living.

In a typical office, there are no living, according to my friends.

They need more from what they do. They need drama, for lack of a better word.

Drama can come in many forms.

For example, you can be a salesperson and have lots of drama. A realtor never knows when shell get her next listing, or close her next sale, but when she does, she cashes in, big time!

Thats dramatic.

A waiter can earn big and small tips and no tips at all. He can serve the rich and famous or the down and out. Theres some excitement in that, and especially on those evenings when the chef is throwing knives around because his pet cat hasnt come home in four days.

I co-hosted a radio show the other day, for an hour. It was dramatic, because I was in the studio, and we had to handle calls, squeeze in news, weather, and traffic, and pay for it all by running commercials. Happily, all I had to be was an expert commentator.

But it was dramatic, especially when someone called in with a question I never expected.

I noticed that the rank and file at the studio, the account executives and clerical people were a tad spunkier than their counterparts at, say, financial companies.

Why is this? Theyre doing, essentially, the same work.

Theyre more alive because the atmosphere is electrical, exciting, and that rubs off on everybody.

Im not here to sell you on a job in radio, but to ask you this question:

How much drama do YOU need to have in your job? If its a lot, recognize this fact, and seek a situation that provides it.

If youre driven by this motivation, you wont be happy being off the beaten path or outside the limelight. And if youre stuck in the outback, well, youll probably produce drama for yourself where none is appropriate, through destructive devices, such as gossip, office politics, and underperformance.

Psychologist Erich Fromm said, If we cant be creative, we must be destructive.

Make sure, if youre a dramatic type, that your job provides that essential creative opportunity!