Eat your vegetables!
Monday, August 30th, 2010Do you remember a Christmas where you got THE gift you hoped for? You begged, pleaded, wrote Santa more than once, prayed every night – it was definitely obvious to everyone. Then the morning came and there it was! Joy of joys!
Now do you remember where you left that wondrous gift? Is it even in your possession anymore?
How quickly we change. Even as adults, too many of us look for the bigger, better deal or the new shiny object. A wise person once said that a free man has nothing. Somewhere between quality of life and poverty lies the balance.
A career is much like that. I’m not speaking about how much money you should make, but the vocation that gives you a reason for getting out of bed. With as short as life is, we should all have one. But a very precious few are actually “living the dream.” Or, they work hard to get where they think they should be, only to find it lacks luster relatively quickly – just like the Christmas gift.
Even the deeply-reflective, carefully-planning, “eyes wide open” career holders can wind up in a rut. I remember many investigations, correspondence, job shadows and soul searching about “what I should be when I grow up.” Granted, many interesting people still don’t know at 50. I just happened to decide at 7. And yet, I still have many experiences that prove to be the “job” part of “living the dream.”
So it’s about shifting your focus, isn’t it? Remembering why you are where you are and reflecting on the more romantic and even honorable aspects of the job. Embracing your purpose and posting reminders of it everywhere, if need be.
Just like your diet, you can’t eat junk food all day every day. You’re going to have to ingest some fiber sometime. Recognize that any position is going to have “brussel sprouts” – as long as you’re not spending your whole day eating them.
Onward and upward!
Tags: Art, business, career, Life, vocation