Is there more to life than this?

blog by: Kim

What will make you happiest over a long period of time?  I am talking about careers. Most people are doomed in childhood by accepting the axiom that

work = pain. Those who escape this are nearly all lured by prestige or money. How many even discover something they really love to do? Hmm…

Are you doing what you love now? Or is there more to life? Plenty of people who will later do great things seem to be disappointments early on, when they're trying to find their niche. I noticed that. Finding your niche isn’t something you just “create” you have to build it over time and take an active role because life will not come to you…you have to take it by the reigns and do it yourself. Wake up.

I tell my little girl that she will go to college. She can take her time and figure out what she wants to do as a career. I told her to find something that speaks to her, then get educated. Look for a  career that will interest her but also pay well enough to afford her a comfortable life. I want her to stand on her own two feet and not depend on a man to pay her way. I have seen too many girls latch on to an educated man with money and try to get a free ride. But if the relationship fails, the woman is left with very little and no way to support herself. I won’t let Emily be one of those women.

I asked Emily what she’d like to be. Her answers change depending on her age. When she was 5 she was sure she’d become a fairy princess. Then she said she wanted to be a cashier. Hmm….i explained she needed to aim a little higher and she chose a veterinarian. That sounded better. I explained she’d need to go to school for that and it required hard studying. She paused, asked for some ice cream and skipped off. Well at least the seed has been planted, right? I can push her in the right direction and keep my fingers crossed that she will make the right choices in life. I know she won’t always, I will have to watch her make mistakes, but it’s part of watching your kids grow up. (or so I am told. ask me again in 10 more years)

For years I knew about and enjoyed the therapeutic benefits of massage therapy. I love the whole mind/body/spirit connection. Why didn’t I recognize this right out of high school? Therapy like this reduces stress,  lessens depression and anxiety, helps your  immune system and heals muscles. The list goes on and on. When a close family member went through cancer a few years ago, I became more acutely aware of the inner workings of the body and how imperative it actually was to not abuse our bodies. I’m actually astonished at how little people some seem to realize about their physical health. It was my A-HA moment! Do I really find sitting at a desk, gazing at a computer screen 8 hours a day fulfilling? Eh…not really. Could I be doing  more spiritually fulfilling work? Probably, yes.

Thanks to the internet, you have a whole world of data at your fingertips. It is never too late. Do some research and find what makes you happy. You are not a generic drone. Find what is uniquely yours. Do something that matters and make a difference in your life, even I it’s just within your small community. Whatever it is you choose, do it well.

Whichever route you take, expect a struggle. Finding work you love is very difficult. Some will fail.  Some will succeed. It's rare to be free to work on what you want till your thirties or maybe forties. But if you have the destination in sight you'll be more likely to arrive at it. If you know you can love work, you're in the home stretch. If you know what work you love, you're practically there.