Do what you Love . . . Don’t just Work
as a Means to an End
I was listening
to a radio show the other day and they were talking about jobs and how people
should not whine about having to work – it’s a means to an ends. . .
There was a
caller that kept changing jobs because she was unhappy with her workmates, they
annoyed her, they were not intelligent enough, she got bored, or whatever other
reasons she tossed out there – she was not happy at her work. I just kept thinking, “She is in the wrong
industry.” If someone is that unhappy in
their job that they keep looking for “it” somewhere else – and job hops, and
hates going to work – they need to do something else.
I kept thinking to
myself: “They need to find their
passion.”
However the
advice from the radio people was, “Suck it up.”
They actually said for working, “We do what we have to in order to have
the life we want.”
In other words
a job is just a paycheck and working is part of what we all HAVE to do in order
to pay bills and have a life that we hopefully enjoy. It does not really matter if you really like
it or enjoy the people you work with . . . you do it because you have to in
order to live the life you want.
WRONG. Anyone else find something wrong with that
advice?
Settling for a job
just to pay bills – is a miserable existence.
I know many people do it and I also know for many in this economy having
any job is a blessing . . . but I just feel sad for those people.
Finding a
passion is the key to happiness in the work world. I think high school counselors should be
helping kids discover their passions – whatever it is – and steer that child
into an industry they will enjoy – not just figure out what jobs pay the best
and steer that kid into an industry they will hate.
Why did I have a physician in one of my
recent ASP® Training classes? She has a full-fledged career as a
Doctor – M.D. – and yet wants to be a Home Stager. This person was so full of life and creative
energy – her field (oncology) was stifling that in her – and dealing with death
and dying was just not fueling her passion. She was good at it – but she wanted something
more.
Realizing there
is an industry that pays well and will fuel that creativity opened the door of
opportunity for her . . . I expect her to be very successful and much happier
as a professional Home Stager!
Follow your Passion! Then
work is not drudgery or just a means to an end . . . it is something you look
forward to every day!
You know how
some people just get through the week and then live for the weekend? I live
for Staging! I get so excited when I
get to work with a client and help them get their house ready for sale!
But in order to follow your Passion, you
have to know what your Passion is. It might be working with kids, or gardening,
or writing or health and fitness, or old cars, or any number of things. . .
There are careers for all those fields – they may not pay the same as you are
making now – or maybe they will pay more – but what I have found is that I
would easily give up $$$ in order to be HAPPY in what I am doing daily and be
motivated to be the best in that field that I can be!
I thought about
all this and realized how lucky I am to have found Home Staging. I had a passion for creative things –
decorating, painting, remodeling houses, and found this industry. It is my work – and yet it is not a means to
an ends only. It’s not just a way to
provide income to my family so we can do what we love. It is
my passion!
My motto is, “I do what I
love so I can live the life I love.”
I love Staging.
In fact all the Stagers I know love Staging. We did it for free for much of our lives for
crying out loud! Finding there was an
industry that would actually pay me for my creative energy and ideas is the
icing on the cake. Knowing I am helping
other people (one of my passions), using my creativity and talent (another of my
passions) and earning great income (a great benefit of the industry – and OK a
passion as who does not want to be paid well?) is the proverbial trifecta of working
for me!
So if you are reading this
and are doing what you love, say a little prayer of thanks as you truly are
blessed. If you know someone that is unhappy in what
they are doing – ask them, “What you are really passionate about?”
It’s never too late to re-invent
yourself.
Age is just a number and I’d rather go
out of this life doing what I love than suffer in silence or never discover and
use my true passion.
