Could the Dao of George Costanza Get Us to Work Fit?

What if the opposite of every choice we make, every plan we execute, every impulse we act on gets us to better life and career outcomes?

The Opposite is in the Pantheon of great Seinfeld episodes. It's brilliant comedy. But it also instructs us to completely reimagine every aspect of our personal and professional lives.

The way we chased success was established in the early days of industrialization, when people left farm and field to work in factories and later on in office buildings.

We established the 40-hour-work week which steadied our cash flow.

We ascended career ladders.

We embraced what senior leadership did and said as gospel.

We chased a possession-crammed American Dream ideal.

And, we settled for long commutes to and from the workplace.

George Costanza languished under that pursuit-model for the unattainable, careening into fantasies that he was an Import/Export Executive...and a world class architect.

The old paradigms, while comedy gold, crushed him professionally and spiritually.

So when George embraced the opposite, chicken salad on rye and a cup of tea, he suddenly experienced the success in life in career that he'd only imagined in his dreams.

He scored a date with the beautiful woman that he saw at the restaurant counter. And he got his dream job with the New York Yankees.

The Opposite has delighted Seinfeld fans for over 30 years. But now, as work and career opportunities are reimagined for an AI-fueled modern age, the Dao of George Costanza stands for careerists as a glorious path forward.

If everything you've done to further your life and professional career has left you languishing, then do liberate yourself to consider and try new work and ways of working that get you to work fit, where work becomes a wonderful part of the day doing other wonderful things.

For when we do that, our best days lie ahead.

Image credit: Castle Rock Entertainment/NBC Universal, 1994

I’m Dan Smolen. As host and executive producer of WHAT'S YOUR WORK FIT? I help you make your work and workplace decisions result in better and more satisfying professional experiences and outcomes. I am also a Founding Member of The Future of Work Alliance.