Before I get into this post, I have to thank you guys for being so diligent and loyal. Somehow you manage to find me here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and at not2shabby on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
My stats look like a roller coaster ride with lots of steep dips on the days I’m not here and huge climbs when I am. So thanks!
Okay back to my original scheduled post…
{photo credit}
Over the weekend, I was flipping and flopping through stations when I serendipitously landed on Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs. You know the one where he does a dirty job for a day – things none of us really dream of doing (cleaning poo, picking up owl vomit, etc.) yet, we’re drawn in like a moth to a flame and can’t stop watching it? Yep, that one.
Well, he had a special on 5 things he learned about employment. They were pretty shocking. So shocking, in fact, that I thought I’d reveal one of the dirty little secrets here.
“Don’t follow your passion, bring it with you.”
Ack! What?! You mean everything I have been saying about passion so far has been…WRONG?!
Well. Maybe.
Guess it all depends how you look at it. Here’s what I think. I think sometimes we wait and wait for _________ (inspiration, love, answers) to come before we take action. We think maybe like Chicken Little, something’s gotta drop down from the heavens and hit us on the head before we do anything about it.
Instead, the workers Mike Rowe follows have passion because they found it in the jobs that they were already in. Sure, part of living a happy life in any situation you’re in, is your attitude. Actually that’s a HUGE part of it! That’s something you can control. That means if you’re typing away at a job you dislike, but you’ve got to be there to support your family, for example, you can still have a happy life. There are things you can do in the meantime to keep your head above water. It also means that every job has someone who’s passionate about doing it. Those people are the real deal. They can find energy, excitement and gratitude, even flow in what they’re doing.
What it doesn’t mean is that you have to settle for the rest of your life, doing something you despise or that you’ll never, ever figure out your purpose in life. On the contrary, what it means is that we have choices. We can make the best of the situation we are in now, while still working on our dreams. Yes, you can have passion in what ever you do even if you dislike what you’re doing. You can bring that passion with you on your journey so that one day soon you’ll find out what you’re purpose is in life. The thing is, you won’t know until you go out and try it.
How would you ever know you’re destined to be a _________ (toilet crusher, worm catcher, etc.) or the many other unique jobs there are out there unless you try it? Try it and give your over 100% effort and then see how you feel. Do that and you’ll be one step closer to finding your dream career.
Trust me. I went from private investigator to research assistant, then realized and reconfirmed my dream to be a writer.
I’m stuck on item #6 of The Joy Diet and would like to stay here awhile please. Making 2 treats a part of my every day has been a blessing. Not just for my soul, but for my wallet too.
Sometimes we get so focused on our goals or obsessed with daily superficialities (iphone, ipads, gossip, buying a home, etc.) that we lose sight of the here and now. This actually works against us and our ultimate goals-to be happy, successful and to feel whole.
I know because I’ve been a workaholic lately. Digging my nails deep into the present and throwing it all in there. I’ve been reading books and articles online, crafting not2shabby things and taking classes all in the hope of making me better at something. I ended up spreading myself thin with nothing left to give and worse-with nothing left to show for it.
Sometimes like the empty room in a home that needs to be filled we allow worry and fear to inhabit it instead of giving time, patience and faith to let things fill it organically.
It’s what happens when an empty dining room table gets replaced with junk or why the fear of no job/relationship makes way for jobs/relationships you don’t want. Out of fear comes desperation and more things we don’t want or need in our lives. Out of faith comes the life we’re destined to live. The latter takes courage to get there.
Last week of The Joy Diet was an easy one. And surprisingly it brought my passion back. I stopped crafting, writing, and reading things related to my career. Instead, I flipped through fun magazines and watched a few episodes of Oprah. It just so happens that I caught two shows related to my passions (Earth Day and a show about people in their dream jobs). It reminded me about my passion to help the environment, why I write, and why I sacrifice time and money to do what I do. It inspired me to write this post and gave me the hope I needed to continue on the journey in faith, not fear.
Take an hour or a few hours a day or even a week if you can and devote the time solely to you and your passion. It could be riding a bike, taking a hike, rediscovering your love for art by visiting a museum or watching a movie. Just do something unrelated to your career. Have fun and you’ll see passion, excitement and joy returning to your life-the fuel necessary to help manifest the life of your dreams.
