Making a living doing what you love sounds great, but what if--
- you're not good at what you love?
- there's no way of making a living doing it?
- you grow to hate what you previously loved since it's now your work?
Since we do spend a lot of time at work, I think it's important not to hate your job, and if possible, actually derive happiness or enjoyment from it. The best way to do this is by getting a job that plays to your strengths. By actually doing something you're good at, you're able to do a good job; get recognized and/or promoted; and have a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at the end of the day. To me that translates into happiness.
And chances are, your strengths can be applied to various jobs and industries, so find one that you either believe in, are interested in, or that appeals to you for whatever reason.
Then recharge after hours by doing what you love.
2 comments:
Coincidentally, I was just having this very conversation with another friend.
My take on it has always been that the adage "do what you love, the money will follow" is flawed.
Instead one should do a job that allows you to do what you love. A job should help you meet a minimum set of needs (pay the rent, feed and cloth your children, save some money, learn new skills) -- but if it also fulfills you intellectually and spiritually, then mazel tov!
Of course, you make an excellent point that many people do not consider. If something you love becomes a chore, the love will soon evaporate into a seething pool of resentment. It's really hard to recover from that.
There is happy medium in which you can perform a job that, in turn, supports what you love.
Kali,
Here's another link/post to further the discussion: http://thecynicalgirl.com/the-passion-agenda/
Actually, I heard Laurie speak at MediaBistro's Career Circus and it's what got me thinking about all this.
Post a Comment