Jobs v. Careers

Yesterday, I did not post, as it was my day of rest… well these days most are days of rest. But, I literally took a 5-hour nap again, after returning home from church services. Today, Monday, most of the people I know are back at their jobs, frantically trying to keep up with their work, wishing it was still yesterday. I am not saying their days are not difficult, but I long for days of being productive, one of many reasons why I started to blog.  We all need a purpose, although many of us serve the majority of our day(s) in “jobs” that do not fulfill them. If only we knew when we were young, what we know now, what direction would we have taken? Well, as far as I know, we cannot turn back time, so what now?

So many say, if you do a job you love you will never work a day in your life. How many can truly say that is true for them, to have been fortunate enough to know how important that was when we were young?  Now, more than ever, at least in OUR lives’ history, people work longer harder hours in jobs they despise, or worse - desire to have any job, even one they despise.

How do we dig out of our holes… or are they holes? Remember without the bad, we would not recognize the good as anything other than the norm. What do we do with our lives, how can we evoke change, in today’s economic peril. One way I have coped in the past, is to somewhat departmentalize things, not easy, I know. But, if you are in a job that is not your dream, focus on the fact that it is your job, a means to provide sustenance, not your dream.

When you are not at your “job” evaluate yourself, your life, your dreams, and how you might work toward changing things for the better. It is difficult to give examples as all situations, as well as people are so varied. But for me, about 6 years ago, I decided to go after my dream, one that had been buried for many years while I worked to provide for my family… Art. I had gotten to a place in my life, that fortunately I had the means to pursue the education for a few years before I would have to take another “punch the clock” type of job. But knew that would be okay, because I would have my art on the side, and with favor, possibly as a career someday. Well my cancer journey interrupted that path, as we all encounter obstacles along the way. I spent many years in self-pity, feeling my dreams were now lost to me forever. But they aren’t, I simply have to adjust them to fit into my new life style. Painting, was my main love. However, with some physical restrictions, it is difficult to do these days, even though I know of many with more restrictions than me that paint with great passion. But for me, I try to find outlets that allow me to create something of minimal expense, anything meaningful, mostly small gifts for loved ones. As even old talents (crochet, knitting, and such) take much longer for me these days, my projects have become smaller, but still fulfilling.

I know there is only so much time in a day, and only so much money to go around, but as the old saying goes, “Where there is a will there is a way”. I never thought I would be “writing”, as I am by no means a professional writer. But I have been praying for God to show me my purpose, now more than ever; Asking him to hit me over the head, if needed, to get me to recognize his purpose for my life.  Well a week ago, I was sitting outside, thinking, pondering, mind wondering in all directions, as I do often, and I found myself grammatically correcting my thoughts. Yes, very odd. I know I am odd, but that was so strange to me, I took it as a sign, whether it was or not. I believe intuition is more than just chance intuition. So here I am blogging.  I still pray, asking for guidance, but oddly enough, I feel what I am doing is now part of my purpose, as I do not feel as empty as before, since I started blogging. Maybe it is not my purpose, but God’s gift to me to pacify my need until I discover it ???

So, I suppose my advice, if wanted, is to first self evaluate, searching inside, outside, your past, your present, and through God, to try to discover your next step. Don’t look at the end of the dream, as many obstacles (opportunities to learn) will come up along the way, altering your path. Go with your intuition while not letting go of common sense, such as your need to provide food and shelter. I don’t think many, if any, have survived moving to an island and living off coconuts in a grass hut. Meshing reality with dreams is difficult, but it is better than living in a hole.

May you have a blessed fulfilling day.