Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. —Confucius
If you don’t love your job, change it. Easier said than done, right? However, if the nature of what you do to pay the light bill impacts your physical and emotional well-being, it’s important to at least consider other options.
Still not interested? Does going to work make you anxious, stressful, tense? Does your job give you tension headaches and stomachaches? Those are wake-up calls, and over time, you could end up with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or even cancer.
Have you ever felt that your life’s work should be a something other than what you do now? Do you ever imagine yourself in a different career, making more money, and feeling happier?
Many of us dream about having different, more exciting careers, but what if we could actually could make those dreams come true? Let’s be reasonable, though; I’m not talking about being an Olympic gymnast at age fifty, (darn!). Perhaps you can’t have the exact career you’ve always wanted because of age, geography or some other variable, but can you experience some degree of a more exciting occupation? Once upon a time, I wanted to be an Olympic gymnast. My dad even built me a balance beam in our backyard. Those dreams never came to fruition for me, but I’ve been teaching group fitness classes for more than 30 years and I continue to experience the physical benefits of dancing and stretching in my exercise classes.
Is there some way you can take even a few small steps toward getting that dream job (or even a smaller version) without losing your current job and insurance and uprooting your family? Could you work from home, get up early, or go to bed later? Could you spend a few minutes each day researching what it takes to have a more gratifying career? If more education is necessary, how can you fit that into your schedule and finances? And if higher education isn’t an option at this time, what is? Too often, we give up our dreams because we think they’re unattainable, when in fact, getting your dream job is just a few simple steps away. Sometimes, all you need is a little extra time and faith that you can live the life you only imagined you could.
Take a few minutes — a few minutes that you would normally spend surfing the Internet — and explore potential positions that might actually be better suited and more financially rewarding than the one that occupies forty or more hours of your time each week.
Grab a pen or laptop and be brutally honest when answering the following questions:
- What would you do if you could change your occupation without repercussions?
- Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but were too afraid to try?
- What’s your dream job?
- What attainable steps can you take toward having your dream job (i.e., working from home, getting up early, going to bed later)
- What would it be like for you to live out your dream and have a different, more exciting career?
If you really want to change jobs, it’s never too late to try. Life is too short and precious to spend your valuable time doing anything other than what you love.
I would give anything to be able to have my own coffee shop and put my carving studio next door.. I would have those together and sell my work at the coffee shop and the studio.
Sounds like a plan. All you can do is try. You might surprise yourself!
looking for my next new passion!
Now that’s the spirit!! Good luck! Let me know what you find!
Love to see a wild game recipes from you… wink, wink !
Yes! We need to write another wild game cook book!!!
I’d love to open my own clothing boutique….complete with some of my own designs!
Have you thought about making a few designs and selling them to local boutiques? That might be a way to get started.
I love to write but I work full time and take care of my mom. My dream would be to do freelance writing from home and have the steady pay check 🙂
I’m with you! I love to write! Perhaps you can research a few on-line magazines in your field and inquire about freelancing. ??
I would love to have a huge hunting / game rannch and cattle ranch. I have always wanted a ranch for guts to come hunting and just enjoy the hunt and land. And cattle there because love cattle , need to have 2 ways to make a living. It is not going to come true, the cost for start up $$$$$$ , so unless I win the power ball. It’s only a dream.
It’s a lot of work, as you must know, but very gratifying too. Perhaps you can start out by working on a ranch and see if you’d really enjoy all the responsibilities. You never know what opportunities are ahead!
I’ve always wanted a seafood restaurant. A small one that served prawns, hush puppies and shrimp cocktails. Call it the shrimp boat.
That sounds awesome!! Good for you!
I couldn’t agree more about grtiaerics. I miss sitting with some of the elderly individuals I used to help and they would tell me stories for hours about the things that they witness when they were younger, and the lives that they lived up to the point that they needed care. I have always felt that the elderly know how to live their lives better than anyone, and they for sure never take it for granted! Sometimes the people taking care of them are not good people though, and it always breaks my heart to see someone talking badly to an elderly man or woman.I like how you made a switch from little tiny babies that have no real experience with life, to elderly men and women who have lived life to its fullest and still have more life to share with others. Such opposites!
Yes, it breaks my heart too. I would sit for hours listening to my grandmother talk about her life and the tribulations she endured. I treasure those times. And, yes, kids love to play – we should too!!
I am moving to the Dallas TX area from the Grand Rapids MI area in less than 2 weeks. I am so excited to move to a new place and reinvent myself so to speak. It seems TX has a lot to offer!
Good for you Leanne! Sometimes change is difficult, but you’re embracing it the right way! And yes, Texas does have a lot to offer (from one Michigander to another!)